Blessing in Disguise
by HollyWoodFix
Summary: Kakashi had experienced his share of pain and loss in his life, and was prepared to live the rest of his life alone. When on the night of his 25th birthday everything changes because of a huge mix up during his annual physical, and because of a certain chuunin. Now he is faced with a huge dilemma, where his decision will affect the rest of his life. Warning: contains yaoi and mpreg
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So just a warning, this is an Mpreg, so if that is not your thing you have been warned! It is also yaoi, which typically goes hand in hand with mpreg but I thought I'd warn you anyway. This story is also unbeta'd.**

 **I kept a few minor cannon things, but for the most part this is largely an AU. They are still shinobi of course, but I have changed many of the character's ages in relation to one another, as well as some of the history of some of the characters, including how some of them died. So I just thought I'd give you a head's up about that.**

 **Anyway I shall stop rambling now, and I just hope you will enjoy!**

Kakashi sighed, waiting in the exam room for Lady Tsunade to return. He hated having physicals, but it was a required part of being an active shinobi in Konoha. They were all required to get complete physicals once a year, whether they were injured, ill or not.

The silver-haired ninja dreaded this day every year, and even tried to get out of it a few times. But he was always cornered and scolded by Lady Tsunade, the head of the medical core. She was one of the legendary Sannin, and could be extremely scary when she wanted to be, so even though he hated the physicals, he hated the idea of being beaten by the blonde medical-nin even more.

It wasn't the physicals themselves that he hated, he just happened to not be overly fond of needles…not that he would ever admit that to anyone. He was Kakashi Hatake after all, the great copy-ninja, he would never live it down if anyone found out he was afraid of something silly like needles.

Kakashi sighed, growing impatient. What was taking Lady Tsunade so long? Today of all days he didn't want to be stuck in a hospital room. Today happened to be his 25th birthday and all he wanted to do was get out of there so he could begin drinking the night away.

It was a birthday tradition that he had had every since he was legally allowed to drink. He would have dinner with his former sensei, Minato the current Hokage, and his wife and son, and then he would hit the bar and begin a night of drinking, and if he was lucky, hooking up with someone. Kakashi would skip the dinner altogether if he could and just get straight to the drinking, but Kushina would never allow it. She insisted that a birthday was something to celebrate with people that cared about you. Which was exactly why Kakashi hated celebrating it in the first place, it just reminded him of all the people that he had loved that he had lost; his mother, father, and his two teammates and closest friends Rin and Obito. To him his birthday wasn't something to celebrate, but an excuse to drink his face off and forget the pain he felt for those he lost. Although he did care about Minato and Kushina, so he indulged them every year by allowing them to have him over for dinner.

"Alright brat, your almost free to go." Lady Tsunade said coming back into the room. "I just have to give you your booster shot."

"Are you sure you have to? I mean I feel healthy enough without it." Kakashi shuddered seeing the size of needle the blonde pulled out.

"Awww, is the big bad copy-nin scared?" Tsunade mocked.

"I'm not scared…but like I said, I'm perfectly healthy without this vitamin shot. Why don't you just save that for the next per- OWW! What the hell you evil bitch!" Kakashi hissed, grabbing his arm where the blonde had just jabbed the needle in. "You didn't even give me any warning!"

"Oh man up! Like warning you would have made a difference. You would have just run away. And what the hell did you just call me?" The older woman hissed, glaring at him.

"Umm…I said you were a…extremely talented medical ninja…"

"Yeah because that sounded so close to evil bitch…get out of here brat before I decide to give you another shot."

"Yes ma'am," Kakashi said, rushing out of the room as quickly as he could, before the blonde could change her mind.

Tsunade shook her head at the retreating ninja; Kakashi was always her worst patient. Every year she had to force him to get his physical, and whenever he was injured on duty, he never listened to her instructions to take it easy, and he always ended up making his injuries worse. But despite how difficult he was, she still had a soft spot for the copy-nin. She knew of his past and could sympathize, having lost the two people closest to her as well. But unlike him she had been able to move on and find happiness again, and she was now married to her former teammate Jiraya. She wished that one day maybe Kakashi would be able to find happiness again as well.

"Happy birthday brat," Tsunade mumbled under her breath, smiling despite herself.

"Lady Tsunade?" A voice came from the doorway, interrupting her train of thought.

"Yes, what is it Shizune?" The blonde woman sighed looking up at her assistant.

"You haven't seen that vile of that new drug we've been working on have you? I could have sworn we had left it in the store room but I can't find it anywhere."

The older woman thought for a moment, trying to remember the last time she had seen it. She was just in the storeroom to get the vitamin booster shot to give to Kakashi, and she could have sworn she had seen it then. She looked down at the empty booster vile in her hand, her eyes widening in shock.

"Oh shit…"

"Oh no, you didn't."

"Let's not panic…I can't imagine the drug would have any effect what so ever. It was still experimental after all."

"But still, if you accidently gave it to someone, shouldn't we bring them in to run some tests to make sure?"

Tsunade bit her lip in contemplation, a part of her thinking that they probably should bring Kakashi back in to run some tests, but on the other hand it was his birthday, a difficult enough day for the copy-nin, she didn't want to make it any worse. And besides, given what the drug was being developed for, she couldn't see it having any effect what so ever on Kakashi anyway.

"No, I believe it will be okay for tonight. I wouldn't worry about it Shizune."

"But milady…"

"I said don't worry about it." The blonde snapped, silencing her assistant immediately.

"Of course, whatever you say."

Tsunade sighed again as Shizune left the room, the blonde looking back down at the vile in her hand. Or at least she hoped that it was nothing to worry about…

~ **Break** ~

"Thank you so much for dinner Kushina, it was delicious as usual." The silver-haired ninja thanked the redheaded woman, as she began clearing all the dishes.

"Of course dear, it was my pleasure." Kushina replied kindly, smiling softly at the copy-nin.

"Is it dessert time mommy!?" The small yellow haired child asked excitedly from his spot next to Kakashi.

"Hold your horses dear, I have to clean up the mess from supper first," Kushina laughed at her now pouting four year old son. "I know, why don't you help me clean up so we can have dessert even sooner?"

"That sounds like a good idea to me little man," Minato chimed in, giving Naruto a look that said 'don't argue with me'.

"Fine!" The four year old sighed dramatically waving his arms before following after his mother into the kitchen. Which just left the two men sitting at the table.

"How are you doing Kakashi?" Minato asked once the two of them were alone.

"Like I told you guys earlier, I'm fine." Kakashi answered, not looking up at his former sensei. He found it hard to lie to the man that he almost looked up to like a father, but he really didn't want to get into things now.

He hated talking about his feelings and about the past, especially on his birthday. It use to be a day that he looked forward to as a kid, because every year his father would take him out on a little trip, and they would do some sort of activity just the two of them. One year they would go fishing, the next year camping, and so on. But then his mother had fallen ill and eventually passed away, of all days, on his birthday.

Kakashi had been so heart broken about his mother's death, but what broke his heart even more was how his father completely withdrew from life after her death. He became so closed off and cold, it was almost like he had lost his father as well. Things had only gotten worse from there when his father began drinking. He became an alcoholic and had gotten himself killed on a mission because he had been drunk.

Despite all the heartbreak he had suffered as a child, he actually managed to find some joy in his life again. When he had officially become a shinobi, and joined his team, he found two friends that he had grown incredibly close to. They became almost like siblings to him, and their team leader Minato became like a father. It was like he had gotten a second chance at having a family.

But then the unthinkable happened. First they lost Obito on a mission, who had sacrificed himself to save Rin and himself. The incident had left Kakashi very shaken, and he grew very unsure of himself as a shinobi. He felt like there should have been more that he could have done to save his teammate. He blamed himself for Obito's death, even though Rin had assured him that it wasn't his fault.

While mourning Obito's death, Kakashi and Rin had grown even closer. The two of them became inseparable, Kakashi always wanting her in his sight so he could protect her. He even developed feelings for her beyond friendship, which only made her eventual death that much more devastating for him.

The two of them had been out for a walk in the forest outside of Konoha, when a group of enemy shinobi had attacked them out of nowhere. They were outnumbered 10 to 2, but together they had manage to take down more then half of them, when Kakashi had slipped up because he was too busy worrying about Rin, that he let himself get distracted and an enemy had attacked him from behind.

He would have been killed if it wasn't for Rin, who had managed to push him out of the way. Unfortunately she wasn't able to avoid the attack as well and she was killed instantly. Kakashi had gone numb, not able to believe what had happened, and he surely would've been killed as well if reinforcements hadn't shown up that instant.

And ever since that day Kakashi completely withdrew from life, and buried all his feelings as far inside himself as possible. It had taken all his strength and will not to end his own life, and instead he had completely thrown himself into training and missions.

It was years before he was able to open up ever so slightly and let his former sensei and his wife back into his life. But even now, years later, he still kept a wall up around himself, not wanting anyone to get too close to him, knowing that he wouldn't be able to handle losing yet another person in his life. So even though he cared for Minato, Kushina, and little Naruto, he still kept a good amount of distance from them just in case.

"I know you said your fine, but you know you can always talk to me if you need to." Minato sighed, frustrated knowing how his former student must be feeling, but knowing there was nothing he could really do about it. All he could do was keep letting the younger man know that he was there for him.

"I know…thanks sensei." Kakashi answered, trying his best to put on a convincing smile.

"Kakashi-san! Kakashi-san!" An excited Naruto kept shouting as he ran full speed back into the dinning room. He would have run right into Kakashi if it hadn't been for the silver-haired ninja's quick reflexes. He grabbed the small blonde boy, picking him up and putting him on his lap.

"What's up little man?" Kakashi asked the visibly excited boy.

"I made this for you!" Naruto said happily, shoving a piece of paper into the jounin's hands.

Kakashi looked down at the paper, and smiled sadly when he saw it. It was a picture Naruto had obviously drawn of Minato, Kushina, Naruto, and himself. They were all standing together holding hands in the picture, and written above the image was the word 'family'.

"Thank you Naruto, that was very nice of you."

"Do you like it?!" The blonde boy asked with such hope in his voice.

"I love it." Kakashi answered, accepting a hug from the boy.

The gesture had been sweet, but if Kakashi was being honest, seeing the picture had upset him more than it had comforted him. I just reminded him that he didn't have a real family of his own.

"Who's ready for cake?" Kushina asked, bringing in the dessert, saving Kakashi from having to say anything more about the picture.

"I am! I am!" Naruto yelled, jumping off Kakashi's lap and hurrying to sit back down in his seat.

The rest of the night passed by quickly, after the cake was finished, Naruto was put to bed, despite his arguments, and after thanking Minato and Kushina once again for everything, Kakashi's real celebration could get started.

He found the closest bar that he could and ordered several drinks, downing them all one after another, until he could feel the familiar tingly in his limbs and warmth in his belly. He ordered another round, doing the same thing. It didn't take long for him to reach the pleasant level of drunkenness where he was able to forget his pain.

Once he was thoroughly hammered, he turned away from the bar, scanning the crowd of people, trying to find a suitable candidate to accompany him to bed that night.

He saw several attractive women, or at least they appeared attractive in his drunken haze, when his eyes landed on someone that instantly caught his attention. Brown hair, tanned skin, Kakashi liked what he saw...

The only problem was that the individual was a man, which would make Kakashi's job of 'wooing' him that much harder. Kakashi didn't usually go for men over women, mainly because most of the men in the village were straight so it was a lot harder to find one willing to sleep with, whereas all he had to do was approach any woman and he was pretty much guaranteed to get them into bed. He was Kakashi Hatake after all, the legendary copy-nin, women all but threw themselves at him. But in the end he was attracted to both men and women, although he did try to keep a low profile when it came to the former.

However with the mood he was currently in, and the amount of booze in his system giving him courage, he was determined to make the man across the bar his. He took one last shot, before he made his way across the room.

~ **Break~**

Kakashi woke up with a groan, instantly feeling an intense pounding in his head. He tried to sit up, but instantly regretted it as the room began to spin around and a wave of nausea washed over him.

"Shit…" The silver-haired male muttered, squeezing his eyes shut in hopes that the room would stop moving and return to normal, but it seemed to be pointless. Eventually he decided to get up whether the room was going to stop spinning or not.

But as soon as he stood up, he felt a sharp pain in his backside, causing him to let out another groan.

"What the hell…" Kakashi hissed, trying to rub the pain away to no avail. He couldn't quite put his finger on what the pain could possibly be from, when the previous nights events slowly started to come back to him.

He remembered the bar, the sake, and then the man that had caught his attention. He looked around his bedroom and could see clear signs of what must have happened last night. His clothes were scattered all over the floor, and there was a bottle of lube still sitting out on his bedside table.

The man in question was nowhere to be found though; he must have left earlier before Kakashi could wake up.

Kakashi sighed, it was probably better that way. Waking up with someone after a drunken one-night stand was always a little awkward. But Kakashi couldn't help but feel slightly hurt by it anyways. It was usually him leaving before the woman could wake up, or kicking them out first thing in the morning, he had never actually experienced being on the other end of that, especially after bottoming.

He winced when he felt another sharp pain in his backside. He couldn't believe he had actually allowed some random guy at the bar to top him. In all the years that he had been sleeping with both men and women, he had never been the bottom.

Maybe this was karmic justice, him being fucked and chucked, just like he had done to a countless number of women and men over the years.

Kakashi groaned once again when the room began to spin. At this point he didn't even care what had happened last night. It was another perfect end to another perfect birthday. Maybe next years would be different…though that thought was almost laughable. Long ago Kakashi had decided to live a life of loneliness and solitude, and he couldn't imagine anything changing that.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So here is chapter two! I'll probably end up posting at least one a week, if not more, depending on how many chapters I get written in advanced. Anyway I hope to enjoy and I would love to hear any thoughts or suggestions.**

 _The brunette could feel his skin crawl with anticipation. His body was sweating and tingling with arousal. He caressed the taunt muscles of the other man's chest, feeling the need to touch every inch of his body._

 _He reattached his lips hungrily to the other man's, as he began to thrust himself into him once more. He knew he wouldn't last long; the entrance was just so tight, he could feel himself reaching his boiling point…_

"Iruka honey, are you all right?" The raven-haired woman asked with concern, shaking her soon to be husband awake.

"Huh?" Iruka asked, his mind still fuzzy with sleep, as he slowly opened his eyes. He looked around the small bedroom, taking a moment to realize where he was. It wasn't until eyes landed on the woman beside him that reality set back in.

"I asked you if you were all right? You were groaning in your sleep. You weren't having another nightmare were you?"

The brunette quickly paled when he remembered what he had been dreaming about, he'd been having the same dream for about a month and a half, and he couldn't seem to be able to get the images out of his head.

"Yeah, I was having one of my nightmares again," Iruka answered, not even lying. The dream he was having every other night was quickly turning into a nightmare. Why couldn't he forget about it?

"Aww, I'm sorry love." The woman said kindly, placing a hand gently on her fiancées shoulder.

Iruka tensed up at the touch, flinching away from it slightly. He felt instantly guilty after seeing the hurt look on her face, but he couldn't help it, he didn't feel worthy of her touch right now.

"I'll go make you some breakfast," the raven-haired woman said, trying to hide the hurt from her voice. Her soon to be husband seemed to be having more and more nightmares, and he would never share them with her, or let her comfort him afterwards. The thought that he didn't trust her enough to open up to her was upsetting, but she bit back any feelings she had on the matter and got up to make him breakfast.

Once Iruka was alone he let out a frustrated sigh. Why did this have to happen to him? And why couldn't he forget about it? He felt for the most part that he was a good person, so why did he have to be continuously punished for this one mistake?

It had been about 6 weeks ago now since the night it had happened. He had been out at the bar with a few of his friends from work, when everybody decided to ditch him after having found a woman to hook up with. Iruka had decided he should just pack it in for the night when a silver-haired Jounin had walked up to him. He recognized him as Kakashi Hatake, the famous copy-nin, and was very intimidated by his presence. So when Kakashi had asked him if he would like another drink, he felt like he couldn't refuse.

Everything after that was a little fuzzy, that was until he woke up the next morning, naked, and in bed with the other man. He couldn't believe what he had done, and had felt so ashamed of himself that he knew he wouldn't be able to face the other man, so he snuck out of there as quickly as he could before Kakashi could wake up.

When he had gotten home that day, he had showered for what felt like hours, under the hottest water he could stand. He had felt so dirty for what he had done, that he tried desperately to wash it away, but no matter how hard he scrubbed the feeling wouldn't go away.

It had been so hard to face his fiancée, Tsubaki, after that. He couldn't believe that he would actually cheat on the woman he loved, and with a man no less. So he tried his best to avoid her for a few days, but had decided that that wasn't fair to her. So he tried to just forget everything that had happened, which actually seemed to work for the most part. That was until he slept and the vivid dreams started.

He couldn't understand why he kept having these dreams. Up until that night he had never had a gay thought in his life, but now all of a sudden he couldn't get the images from that night out of his head. Which only made him feel even more shame, and what made it even worse was the fact that he woke up aroused every morning from the dreams. Luckily for him Tsubaki never seemed to notice his morning arousal, and she bought into the fact that he was having 'nightmares'. Which in a way only made him feel worse. She was so sweet, so innocent; she would never suspect what his dreams were really about. Sometimes he wished she would find out and get angry with him, or even leave him, it was certainly no more than he deserved.

"Breakfast is ready!" He heard Tsubaki yell from the other room. Iruka sighed one last time, shutting his eyes and willing any last feelings from the dream to go away. Once he felt like he was composed enough to face her, he got out of bed and left the room, praying that today he could finally forget about what had happened that night.

~ **Break** ~

The silver-haired ninja woke up with a groan, grabbing his head to try and ease the pain within it. He had been waking up feeling this way for the past few days now, and he couldn't figure out why.

He hadn't drank since the night of his birthday, needing to give himself a few weeks off to detox, but it was almost like he was waking up feeling hung over anyway.

"Shit…" Kakashi muttered, before getting up quickly and making a mad dash for the washroom, where he quickly emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet bowl. The nauseous sensation lasted a few minutes before it finally seemed to pass.

He got up slowly, on shaky legs, taking a look at himself in the mirror. He looked paler then he usually did, and was beginning to wonder if there was something seriously wrong with him.

The first day it had happened he had assumed that maybe he had the flu, but then later in the day he always felt fine, which certainly didn't sound like any flu he had heard of. So he began to wonder if maybe it was something even more serious than that.

Kakashi just sighed, shaking his heard, trying to convince himself that he was just being paranoid and that it was probably nothing to worry about. And even if it was something more serious, then so what? It's not like he had to worry about leaving any family members or loved ones behind. If something was wrong and it was his time to go, then he was ready to accept that.

"Well whether I'm dying or not I better get going…Minato will kill me if I'm late for this mission."

~ **Break** ~

"Are you all right Kakashi?" The yellow-haired man asked in concern for his former student.

The two of them were on there way back to the mission room, having successfully completed the mission for that day. Minato, being the Hokage, didn't usually go out on missions anymore, but this one was of particular importance, involving guarding the feudal lord from an apparent death threat. The lord had insisted that he come personally, along with a select few of his best ninjas. Which meant Kakashi, as well as Guy and Asuma.

Once they had gotten back to the village, he had sent Guy and Asuma home, but asked Kakashi to come with him to hand in the report. Which he didn't really need help with, but something seemed off with the younger man today, he wasn't himself, so he wanted Kakashi to stay with him a little bit longer so he could keep an eye on him.

"I'm fine, really sensei, it's nothing." Kakashi answered, getting a little bit annoyed from the number of times he had to answer that question that day.

"You just seemed a little off your game today is all…there were a few little slip ups I noticed," Minato said gently, holding the door to the mission room open for the other man.

"Well nobody can be perfect all the time…" Kakashi just muttered, knowing exactly what Minato had meant. He had made a few rookie mistakes on the mission that day, mistakes that he hadn't made since he was a Genin. His mind had been a little foggy, and the feeling of nausea had picked back up, which he knew was no excuse, but he couldn't seem to help himself.

"I know, and I don't expect you to be. I was just a little worried is all…"

"Well don't be, I'm fine." Kakashi all but snapped, instantly regretting the way he answered. He forgot sometimes that Minato wasn't just his former sensei anymore, he was his Hokage and he should have more respect then that. "I'm sorry sir…"

"Don't worry about it…and you know you don't have to call me sir. It makes me feel old." The yellow-haired man laughed.

"Well you are old."

"Hey, 35 is hardly old!"

"Just keep telling yourself that."

"I'll knock you back to Chuunin for that!"

"That would be your loss."

"Yeah, yeah. Why don't you go hand in the report for me you smart ass."

"Yes Lord Hokage sir." Kakashi jokingly saluted the older man, before turning around and making his way across the room to the missions desk, choosing the shortest of the three lines.

Minato laughed, rolling his eyes at his former student's sarcasm. Kakashi was probably the only person that could get away with stuff like that, and he was probably the only one who would try. The silver-haired ninja was definitely like a son to him, even if it was obvious that the younger man constantly tried to push him and Kushina away. But no matter how much Kakashi tried, he and his wife and son would always be there for him.

Kakashi sighed, becoming slightly impatient. He always hated the paperwork part of being a ninja. After a long mission the last thing he wanted to do was go hand in a report. He would like nothing more than to go straight home and go to bed, especially today, he felt way more tired then he normally would after such a standard mission.

"I've got a report to submit." Kakashi muttered once he got to the front of the line, lazily handing the report to the person behind the desk, not even bothering to look up at the individual.

"Umm, th-thanks…I'll just check it over quickly." A nervous voice answered. Kakashi smirked, he got a small amount of satisfaction when he was able to intimidate people; but there was something oddly familiar about that voice.

Kakashi looked up to see who was sitting behind the desk, only to have his one visible eye nearly double in size when he saw who it was. As drunk as he had been that night, there was no way he would ever forget that face. It was the man that he hooked up with on his birthday…the man that had been the first one to ever top him…the man that left him before he woke up, leaving him for the first time in his life feeling used.

The silver-haired ninja completely froze upon seeing the individual once again, a million different thoughts rushing through his head. Who was this guy? And why was he suddenly working in the mission room? Why did he leave that morning before he woke up? And why did he care so much about it?

"Ah, I see you've met the newest addition to our mission room," Minato said, appearing beside Kakashi, who was thankful to him for breaking the tension.

"Uh, yeah, I guess…I didn't catch his name." Kakashi replied.

"This is Iruka Umino. He is one of our best teachers at the academy." Minato introduced the brunette, oblivious to the tension between the two. "And this is Kakashi Hatake."

"Of course, the famous copy-nin," Iruka said, keeping his eyes trained on the report in front of him, not able to make eye contact with the two other men.

"I should have figured you'd heard of him," the older man laughed. 

"Yes, a pleasure to meet you Iruka-san." Kakashi said, somewhat bitterly, thrusting his hand out, forcing the brunette behind the desk to look up.

Iruka swallowed nervously, sensing the disdain radiating from the famous ninja. He was a little scared to take his hand, but also didn't want to come off as rude, especially not in front of the Hokage; so he hesitantly grabbed the other man's hand, giving it a quick shake.

He tried to hide a wince, feeling pain shoot through his hand. Whatever it had been was quick, almost feeling like some sort of electrical shock.

"So, why is one of our most esteemed teachers working in the mission room?" Kakashi asked, pulling his hand away, still glaring at the brunette. He tried his best to keep the bite out of his voice, but couldn't seem to help it. The longer he looked at the individual the more bitter he got.

"Well Iruka here is getting married next year, so he came by last week asking for a little extra work so that he could begin saving up for the occasion." Minato answered, still completely oblivious to the tension that was getting thicker and thicker.

"Oh is he. Well isn't that great. Congratulations." Kakashi hissed, turning on his heel and making a beeline for the exit, not waiting for the others to say anything. He knew it was rude of him, but he couldn't seem to be able to keep his anger in check.

He had no reason to be pissed off about the news; in fact, he knew that he had no reason to be bitter towards the other man at all. It was a one-night stand, nothing more, and he knew that going in to it. But he couldn't seem to get by the fact that he had been the one to be fucked and chucked, something he had done a countless number of times to others…but he couldn't shake the fact that it had been done to him. All his life he had forced himself to be strong, to protect himself from painful emotions, but that morning he had felt vulnerable…weak. Both of which were feelings he hadn't had since Rin died.

Kakashi sighed, wishing he could let out an angry, frustrated scream, but didn't want his emotions to get the better of him. He wouldn't let Iruka and what happened that night break his resolve. He took one last deep breath, pushing all the emotions he had swirling inside him back down, which seemed to cause a wave of nausea to wash over him.

"Shit," Kakashi groaned, "at this point I kind of hope I am dying..."

Back in the mission room, Minato was still standing beside the front desk, confused. He knew Kakashi had seemed a little off that day, but he certainly didn't expect that.

"Sorry about that Iruka, I don't know what came over him." The yellow-haired man said, letting out an awkward laugh.

"Don't worry about it Hokage-sama, I don't mind. And the report looks to be in order by the way." Iruka said, handing the older man the piece of paper, hoping to avoid the conversation going back to the copy-nin.

"Thank you Iruka, keep up the good work."

"Thank you sir." Iruka answered, giving Minato a small bow as he exited the room.

As soon as he was gone, Iruka let out a huge sigh of relief, thankful that the awkward encounter had past. When he asked for extra work, and was offered a position in the mission room, it didn't even occur to him that he would eventually run into the copy-nin. He could slap himself for being so stupid, of course he would run into Kakashi in the mission room, that was pretty much the one place he was guaranteed to run into him eventually.

He had no idea how he would react if he ever did see the older man again after that night, he hadn't even considered it, he had just hoped that he would never have to find out. But now that he had seen him again, he couldn't help but feel a mixture of guilt and anger.

He felt guilty because he knew it couldn't have been a very good feeling waking up alone after what they had done that night. But he felt angry at Kakashi for approaching him in the first place. He knew that he shouldn't be angry at the older male, because in the end it was his decision to do what he did. Nobody had forced him to cheat on his fiancée, that sin was completely his own…but still, if Kakashi never approached him that night, never bought him those drinks, never made him want him…

Iruka shook himself out of his train of thought. He needed to stop dwelling on what happened. Sure the famous Kakashi Hatake might hate his guts from now on. But in the end, it was a one-night stand. It was wrong of him, but he couldn't let it ruin his life. He was determined to get past this, to work hard for the next year and save up a good amount of money to throw Tsubaki the wedding she deserved.

Iruka cursed under his breath, because when he closed his eyes he couldn't stop the images of toned, sweaty, pale skin writhing in pleasure underneath him. Maybe forgetting was going to be easier said then done.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Let me know what you guys think. I've written quite a few chapters in advanced but I'm not really sure about the direction I have taken things. I would love to hear any thoughts or suggestions you might have, and might even consider changing things depending on what people think. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! And my apologizes for any mistakes!**

A group of enemy ninja were closing in on them; Kakashi could sense 3 in total. Which considering there were also 3 of them, Kakashi couldn't see there being much of a problem. Their team currently consisted of Guy, Asuma, and himself, so as far as he was concerned, they couldn't be beat.

This was suppose to just be a routine scouting mission when they had been blindsided by a surprise attack, but now that they had caught their bearings, he was confident that they would be able to make it out of the situation unscathed, even though it may seem like they had the disadvantage.

The three of them were in a forest, all of them standing back to back so nobody could sneak up on them. Tall trees stood all around them, so the enemy still had an element of surprise on their side, not to mention they had the high ground.

The first attack came in the form of a group of kunai's being hurled at them from all directions, which with his sharingan, Kakashi was quickly able to deflect the on coming blades, and was able to hurl a few back in the direction he saw them come from. He heard a pained cry which meant he must have hit at least one of them.

Next came a massive amount of shuriken also coming at them from all directions, together the three of them deflected all the attacks, but it seemed that it had all just been a distraction, because all three of them were hit simultaneously, the enemy seeming to appear out of nowhere.

"Finally you cowards showed yourselves, now the real fight can begin." Asuma smirked.

"Yes, time to test our youthful vitality! And look, we each have our own punching bag, isn't that just perfect!" Guy said, with as much enthusiasm as ever.

Kakashi would normally agree with the other two, but his confidence quickly drained from him when he felt a wave of nausea wash over him. His limbs all felt so numb, so weak, and to his horror, he could feel the world begin to spin around him.

He tried to stay calm as the enemy made their move; he was able to deflect the first attack as the shinobi in front of him lunged at him with a kunai. But the shear amount of energy it took to deflect that one attack seemed to be his limit. His vision began to darken, and he knew it was a matter of moments before he would pass out.

With the last of his energy he threw his kunai, hoping that he would hit something, only to feel a sharp pain in his right shoulder and cries of 'Kakashi' from his friends, before everything went dark.

~ **Break** ~

Kakashi woke up, the blinding lights of the room causing him to squeeze his eyes shut again. His head was pounding, and he couldn't for the life of him remember where he was, or how he got there.

The last thing he remembered was being surrounded by enemy ninja and then…he raised his left hand to touch his right shoulder and winced as a pain shot through his arm. So he hadn't imagined that part, he had obviously been stabbed by an enemy kunai. But where was his team? What had happened after that?

Kakashi was about to try and get up, when he felt a strong hand on his good shoulder, pushing him back down into the bed. He looked up and saw that it was Minato's hand, and he had to force back his sigh. This wasn't going to be fun.

"What happened Kakashi?" Was all the older man said, much to his surprise. He had been expecting a lecture, or at least the typical 'are you okay?' 'how are you?'

"I…I don't know." The silver-haired ninja answered honestly. It had been over two weeks since the symptoms he had been experiencing came on, but he had chosen to ignore them. He figured if something was wrong with him then fine, he would deal with it himself, he didn't need a doctor, or any of his fellow shinobi fawning over him.

But today was different…today was the first time that whatever this illness was actually effected his work. And not only did he jeopardize his own life, but he also endangered his teammates, and in his mind, that was unforgivable.

"I'm so sorry," Kakashi exhaled, trying his best to keep his voice even, "Guy and Asuma, are they okay?"

"Yes, they're fine. They were able to stop the enemy, and bring you back alive. I would thank them if I were you…"

"Of course Minato-sama." Kakashi said humbly, knowing that the older man was right. His friends could have been killed because he wasn't there to watch their back, and because they couldn't concentrate on fighting themselves because they had to worry about him. And it was all because he was selfish, and chose to keep whatever was going on with him quiet. "This is all my fault."

"Kakashi, look…" Minato sighed, feeling bad once he saw the pained look on his former students face. "I've had a feeling for a while that something has been going on with you, but I chose to give you the benefit of the doubt and decided to give you your space. I see now that that was foolish of me. If anyone is to blame for what happened out there, it's me…"

"No, Minato, it's not your fault!" Kakashi began, only to stop when the yellow-haired man lifted his hand to silence him.

"No, it is. I am the Hokage, and it's my responsibility to watch over this village and the shinobi within it. I sensed something was off with you, yet I still let you go out on missions anyway…and because of my decision you and your team could have been killed."

Kakashi felt instantly guilty, seeing the distressed look on his former sensei's face. He couldn't understand how he could blame himself though. It was clearly his fault!

"I'm sorry Minato-sama. I swear it won't happen again."

"I'm sorry too Kakashi, because until further notice I have to take you off active duty."

"What!? But Minato!" Kakashi began to say, until the older man shot him a look that dared him to argue. He quickly shut up, knowing that he was right, even if he would like to pretend that it was nothing and that he was fine.

"I have summoned Lady Tsunade to come give you a complete check up, and depending on her findings will determine whether or not you get to go back on duty or not." Minato said with authority, his decision final.

Kakashi just nodded in agreement, not daring to argue. Minato felt a little bad upon seeing his former students sullen mood, but it couldn't be helped. He was the Hokage after all; he had to do what was best for his subordinates, and not only that, but Kakashi was almost like a son to him, and he had to do what was best for one of his dearest friend.

"Don't blame yourself for what happened today. I know you would never intentionally put your friends lives at risk. Just concentrate on feeling better and getting back to your old self."

"Yeah…of course. Thanks Minato-sama." Kakashi replied humbly, giving the older a slight bow as he exited the room.

Once he was alone he couldn't help all the days events from rushing back to him. He hadn't been feeling well that morning, he had known things weren't quite right with him, and yet, he went out on the mission like nothing was wrong. After all, he was Kakashi Hatake after all, the famous copy-nin, he had been near death many times, and had come back to defeat his enemy. Why should he let a little nausea get in his way of completing his mission? He wasn't weak, and didn't want to appear weak by letting his teammates know that things weren't quite right with him. But now he realized… what was weak was the fact that he hadn't said anything.

Kakashi let out an audible cry. What was wrong with him? Ever since the night of his birthday things have just been off. Was he really dying?

"How are you feeling brat?" Tsunade asked, entering the room, only to go silent when she saw the look on the silver-haired man's face. She could sense a great inner turmoil and her heart broke. "Let's figure out what's going on okay?"

~ **Break** ~

"What do you think of this one?" The raven-haired woman asked her fiancée, holding up yet another centerpiece for the man to see.

"It's pretty." Iruka answered glancing up at the object in her hands. "I like it if you like it."

"That's what you've said for every single one so far!" Tsubaki sighed, placing the object back down. "Are you not really into this or something?"

Iruka looked down, not wanting to meet his fiancées eyes. Another two weeks had gone by, and his guilt had begun to ease slightly, and his dreams had even begun to get less and less often, but still…the images from his memory were still there in the very back of his mind, and they had continued to make him feel unworthy. Unworthy of Tsubaki, unworthy of their wedding, and unworthy of the life they were planning together.

So when Tsubaki had begun wedding planning last week he had tried his best to appear enthused, but it was hard. It was hard to pretend that nothing had happened, to pretend that he was worthy of the upcoming nuptials.

"No, of course I am…I'm just," Iruka sighed. He didn't even know how to finish that thought. He wanted to make her happy more than anything, and right now it appeared that if he just showed a little enthusiasm towards planning the wedding that that would make her happy. But at the same time, a part of him was hoping that she would see his disinterest and get mad enough to maybe call the whole thing off. Which would surely hurt her for a while but afterwards she might be better off…better off with someone who wouldn't do to her what he did.

"I'm sorry. I've just been a little distracted by all the extra work…" Iruka finally said, coming up with what he was hoping was a believable excuse.

"Oh my gosh Iruka, I'm so sorry! Here you are putting in all these extra hours at work to earn some extra money for our wedding and I didn't even stop to think about how it was all affecting you. Please forgive me for being so selfish!" Tsubaki cried out, giving her fiancée a gentle hug.

Iruka couldn't believe her reaction, he had been hoping for anger or annoyance, not for sympathy.

"Don't worry about it, it's not really all that bad…"

"No, I was completely selfish to demand all your spare time now that you are working so much. If you would like I can take over all the plans from here. And I can even start going out on real missions again to bring in some extra money!"

"No…no. I don't want you going out on any missions you don't have to. If anything happened to you…I don't mind the extra work, really. It makes me happy to think that I can provide for us, to pay for our wedding."

It also didn't hurt that all the extra work meant that he spent more time away from Tsubaki, which meant that the immense guilt he felt was a little easier to bare on a day to day basis.

"Oh Iruka, I love you." Tsubaki said softly, her green eyes sparkling, holding on to him even tighter.

Iruka hesitantly put his arms around her as well, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I love you too."

~ **Break** ~

"Hokage-sama?" Tsunade said hesitantly, sticking her head through the office door. Normally she wouldn't even both knocking, and would just let herself in. But with the news she had, she showed restraint because she was nervous about the upcoming conversation.

"Oh, Lady Tsunade, please come in." Minato greeted, motioning for the woman to come in and have a seat. He could see the folder clutched tightly in her hands and was more then anxious to find out the results.

Tsunade had a seat, gladly taking the sake that Minato had offered, downing the glass put in front of her in one gulp. She accepted a second glass, before Minato finally broke the silence again.

"So, what did you find?" He asked curiously.

"I…it's…I don't know quite how to say it…" Lady Tsunade stumbled over her words, wishing more than anything for a third glass of sake, cursing the fact that Minato had put the bottle away.

"What is it Tsunade? Please don't tell me it's something critical?" The Hokage's panic began to rise at Tsunade's obvious distraught mood. What could be wrong with his former student to have the medical ninja acting this way?

"No, Minato, it's nothing critical…" Tsunade sighed. He would surely think she was insane, but she had run the tests not once, not twice, but three times, and there was no mistaking it.

"Well what is it then?" Minato prodded after another few moments passed by.

"I really don't know how else to say this with out sounding completely crazy but…Kakashi, Kakahsi's pr-pregnant."

Minato knew that this was a serious situation, but couldn't help but burst out laughing at Tsunade's obvious attempt at breaking the tension.

"Kakashi is pregnant? That's a good one Tsunade, and when is he due?" Minato asked sarcastically.

"About the middle of June I would say, give or take a week or two." Tsunade answered, staring down at her report.

"Oh is that right. And what is the sex of the baby may I ask?"

"It's too early to tell. In another month or two we should know." Tsunade answered, "I have to say Minato-sama, you are taking this a lot better then I was expecting."

"Okay…now I'm confused because I don't actually think you're joking." The yellow-haired man said after hearing the seriousness in the woman's voice. "Are you seriously saying that Kakashi is pregnant? That can't be possible!"

"It's not…" Tsunade sighed, seeing the confused look on the man's face, "or at least it wasn't possible until recently…"

"Please explain Tsunade. What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, you know about the research I have been doing in regards to infertility in women right?" Tsunade began, Minato nodded remembering approving the proposal months ago. He knew it was a subject very dear to Tsunade's heart, never being able to have children of her own, so when she had approached him with the idea, he couldn't bear to turn her away. "Well recently me and Shizune have been making great strides in the serum we've been working on. The formula was designed to take women who's reproductive organs are no longer functioning, and rejuvenate them, allowing the women in question to be able to bear children."

"Yes, I know that much, that was all in the proposal you submitted to me, but what does that have to do with Kakashi being pregnant?"

"Well, anyway, there seems to be some…unforeseen side effects to the drug. This was all my fault Lord Hokage! I'm so sorry!"

"What are you talking about? What happened Tsunade?"

"It was such a long day…I had been doing all the shinobi physicals all week…I barely had time to sleep…I was tired, and when I went into the store room to get the vitamin booster to give Kakashi, I must have grabbed the prototype serum we had been working on…I realized my mistake, but I didn't image the consequences would ever be this severe, so I didn't tell Kakashi about it…I didn't want to ruin his birthday."

"I see…but I'm still not sure I'm understanding what you're saying. So he took this fertility drug, and what, he just sprouted a fetus? How is that possible?"

"Well, we haven't worked out all the details yet, we will still have to do many tests, but basically from what we gathered so far, he didn't simply sprout a fetus, it's much more complicated then that. It seems that since Kakashi didn't have the 'parts' that the drug was meant for that the drug was somehow able to create what we are calling the 'faux-womb' out of some of the chakra in his body. This might not have happened to the average man, but because Kakashi is so strong and has such a large amount of excess chakra, it seems the drug was able to take advantage of that. It also seemed to be able to take Kakashi's genetic material and create an egg."

"But even given all that, I still don't get how he could be pregnant."

"I didn't think I would have to explain this part, but very well…when two people love each other very much, the partake in an act known as sex…"

"I'm fairly sure I got that part. I am a father you know. But does that mean…are you saying Kakashi had sex with a man? That Kakashi is gay?" Minato asked, completely shocked by the thought.

"I can't speak for Kakashi Lord Hokage, so that is something you will have to ask him. But I was able to detect a second set of DNA within the child other than Kakashi's…so in order to create the child, it appears he must have had sex with a man at some point."

"I see…" Minato mumbled, letting all the information he just received to really sink in.

The whole thing still seemed to be so unbelievable. It was like something you would hear out of some far-fetched fantasy story. It just wasn't something that would happen in the real world.

But then again, Minato reasoned, they did live in a world filled with shinobi, and he supposed stranger things have happened…whether it is tailed beast, summoning creatures out of nowhere, or even reanimating the dead…he supposed nothing should shock him anymore.

"Have you told Kakashi yet?"

"No, not yet. I figured I better let you know first…that way if I ended up not making it out of the room alive after telling Kakashi, you'd know why."

"Yeah, I can't imagine him reacting well to this…but I do think you should tell him as soon as possible. And afterwards I want you to run some more tests to see if you can figure out more about this phenomenon, and whether or not he will experience a normal pregnancy. I want a full report as soon as possible, and this it to be kept strictly confidential. I don't want word getting out to the village about this. And after I look over that report, we will discuss the future of your research into this serum."

"Of course Lord Hokage, and again, I'm so sorry for this…if I had been paying more attention that night."

"You're right, you should have…but we should have also delegated more staff to the physicals, and you shouldn't have been so overworked. I know you probably feel awful about this, but I know you would never do anything like this on purpose, so I don't feel the need to lecture you about it."

"Thank you Minato-sama."

"Besides, you having to deal with Kakashi after you tell him will be punishment enough." Minato laughed, when he saw the older woman give a shudder.

Things would certainly be getting more interesting around there, very soon. And as angry and confused as his former student was sure to be, Minato couldn't help but think that maybe this was a blessing in disguise. That this might just be what Kakashi needed.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm happy to see a few more people following and favoriting this story. I hope everyone continues to enjoy, but would love to hear a little more feedback. I'm open to any sort of constructive criticism and suggestions. I just want to try and write the best story I can, and what I might find brilliant, you could find lame. So anyway I would love to hear your thoughts and hope you enjoy this weeks chapter!**

"Tsubaki! Are you okay?" Iruka asked, slightly panicked, as he rushed into the hospital waiting room. He found his fiancée sitting in one of the chairs, with her ankle wrapped tightly in bandages.

"Yes, I'm fine," Tsubaki laughed at the worried look on the brunettes face. "It's really nothing, I told them they shouldn't bother contacting you."

"What happened?" Iruka began to calm down once he saw for himself that his fiancée was in fact all right. He had received a messenger bird while he was teaching his class, saying that Tsubaki had been taken to the hospital. Iruka had instantly taken off, not even giving an explanation to his class…he supposed he would have to explain that to the school board tomorrow…

Tsubaki blushed, mumbling something under her breath, which Iruka didn't hear so he asked her to repeat. "I said…I was trying on shoes for the wedding, and they may have been a little too high so…I kind of rolled my ankle."

Iruka couldn't help but laugh at that, which Tsubaki responded by giving him a playful swat on the back of the head, but joined in laughing herself.

"Yes, it certainly wasn't one of my finer moments. I think I might go with flat shoes for the wedding. I wouldn't want to kill myself during our first dance or something."

At mention of the wedding Iruka tensed up a bit, but was quickly relaxed upon seeing his fiancées kind smile. She was always able to make him feel better, even if she didn't realize he was upset in the first place.

Iruka was about to respond when he heard a crash, followed by raised voices coming from the end of the hallway. Both Tsubaki and himself turned toward the cause of the commotion, completely surprised by what they saw.

"CALM DOWN BRAT! " Lady Tsunade, the head of the medical core, yelled.

Iruka couldn't stop himself from gasping when he saw who she was yelling at. Standing next to her was a rather disheveled looking Kakashi. He was shirtless, but most of his upper torso was wrapped in bandages, a part of which appeared bloodied. Other than that, he appeared fairly normal, having his facemask on, and his forehead protector covering his left eye.

"Look at what you did idiot! You opened up your wound! Come back into the room and let me have a look at it!"

"YEAH RIGHT! LIKE I WOULD LET A QUACK LIKE YOU TOUCH ME!" Kakashi screamed in response, not caring about the number of people that were now staring at them.

"COME BACK INTO THE ROOM NOW SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS!"

"I NEED TO GET AWAY FROM YOU PEOPLE! YOU'RE ALL INSANE!" Kakashi was about to make a dash for it, when Lady Tsunade caught his wrists, and began to pull him back into the room. The copy-nin tried to resist, but with Tsunade's legendary monster strength, all his struggles were in vain. "UNHAND ME YOU VILE WOMAN!"

"SHUT UP BRAT!"

And before Kakashi could be fully dragged into the room, he looked up to see Iruka and Tsubaki staring at him from down the hall, which only caused the copy-nin's blood to boil even more.

"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT ASSHOLE!" Was the last thing heard from the silver-haired man before the door was slammed shut, blocking the two of them from view. Although yelling could still be heard from the room…it was just a little more muffled, and what they were saying couldn't quite be made out.

Iruka remained frozen for a couple of moments, not believing what they had just seen. What could have possibly happened to the famous ninja to cause such a scene?

It had been two weeks since Iruka had seen Kakashi in the mission room, and he figured the Jounin must have been avoiding him. Not that he didn't understand why, and if anything, he was relieved.

It was a lot easier to try and forget about something, when you could avoid seeing that something. But having said that, he also couldn't help but be a little curious about how the other man was doing…not that he really cared or anything. He just felt that maybe he needed closure…some way of finally putting what happened behind him.

So when he saw the copy-nin in the hospital, obviously injured, he couldn't help but feel concerned. He didn't know why, or where the feeling was coming from, but he couldn't shake it.

"Well that was a little weird, wasn't it?" Tsubaki asked, caught off guard by the scene that had played out before them. She had of course heard of Kakashi Hatake before, but she never imagined that she would see him for the first time screaming in the hallway of a hospital, being dragged away, calling her fiancée an asshole.

"Yeah, it was definitely strange." Iruka agreed, his curiosity steadily rising.

"Actually, that reaction seemed about right." A third voice said, catching the other two off guard. They looked up, and instantly got to their feet when they saw who it was.

"Lord Hokage, sorry, we didn't see you there." Iruka apologized, giving the older man a slight bow.

"That's alright Iruka…but listen, could you two do me a favor?"

"Of course sir."

"If you could keep quiet about the little outburst you just saw, I would appreciate that."

"Of course, we understand…would there be anyway to find out what it was about?" Iruka asked hopefully, not able to pass up a chance to satisfy his curiosity. Minato simply gave the brunette a look, which answered his question. "Of course, I'm sorry. It's none of my business."

"Anyway, have a nice day you two, and I hope your ankle heals quickly Tsubaki."

"Thank you sir." The raven-haired woman said as the older man walked away. She then turned towards Iruka and gave him a confused look. "Things keep getting stranger."

"Agreed." Iruka sighed, somewhat disappointed that he didn't get any information about what was going on with the copy-nin. But he reminded himself that not only shouldn't he care, but it was none of his business or concern. "Why don't I get you home so you can rest that ankle?"

"Sounds wonderful."

~ **Break** ~

"I SAID LET GO OF ME WOMAN!" Kakashi shouted when they were alone back in the exam room.

Tsunade sighed, but finally granted his request and let go of him, being sure to stand between him and the door just incase he tried to make a break for it again.

"I know your upset Kakashi, and you have every right to be, but I really need you to calm down."

"You want me to calm down? Seriously?" Kakashi all but hissed, glaring at the medical-nin before him. "You just told me that I'm pregnant! How am I supposed to calm down? Because of _you_ I'm some freak of nature lab experiment! But hey, you're right, I should just calm down!"

"I'm really sorry Kakashi. This was completely my fault, but getting upset like this isn't going to help anything…besides, it's not good for the baby."

As soon as the word baby left the blonde woman's mouth a huge wave of nausea washed over him. The word baby made it sound so…real. And this couldn't be real, it just couldn't.

"Don't use that word…" The silver-haired man mumbled, taking a seat on the exam table, a sudden faint feeling coming over him. All his anger seemed to drain away as he began to slip into unconsciousness.

"Shit…" Tsunade said, catching Kakashi before he could fall forward off the exam table. She leaned him back so he was now lying flat on it. She took this opportunity to quickly repair the shoulder wound that he had ripped open earlier, as well as to do a quick check on the baby. Everything still seemed to be in order, but how upset Kakashi got earlier worried her a bit. That kind of stress wasn't good for the baby, and considering the amount of stress he was sure to face in the near future, it could eventually have a damaging effect.

Tsunade heard a gentle knock at the door, and was about to tell whomever it was to go away, when the Hokage opened the door, quietly slipping into the room. He immediately saw Kakashi passed out cold and sighed. "So he really didn't take it well huh?"

"Can you blame him?"

"Not at all…will he be okay?"

"Yeah, I already checked him over, he should be fine, but he really needs to relax a bit."

"That will be easier said then done…"

"No kidding. The brat never knew when to slow down."

"Stop calling me brat." They heard the silver-haired ninja whisper, as he slowly pulled himself into a sitting position.

"How are you feeling Kakashi?" Minato asked as he and Tsunade approached the exam table.

"Fine…" Kakashi began, but received a venomous look from the older male, so he sighed, figuring at this point there was no point lying. "I feel like a sack of shit. Are you happy now?"

"Thrilled." Minato rolled his eyes at his sarcasm. "I wanted to ask you, how long have you been having your symptoms."

"A few weeks now I guess…" Kakashi answered bitterly.

"And why didn't you come get checked out sooner?" Tsunade asked, making a note on his chart.

"I didn't want to make a big deal of it…honestly I just thought I had some sort of rare disease or something and that whatever was going to happen was going to happen." Kakashi shrugged, avoiding the eyes of the other two.

"So you thought you were dying and you didn't want to make a big deal of it?" Tsunade asked, trying to hide the sadness from her voice.

Kakashi just shrugged again, not daring to look up, not wanting to see their pity. If somebody pitied you, you probably had done something to deserve that pity, and therefore were weak.

The copy-nin hated that feeling. He always felt so in control of himself, but lately things seemed to be spiraling out of his control, and he didn't know what to do. It was such a foreign feeling…something he hadn't experienced in years, not since Rin had died.

Once he thought about his old friend, he couldn't help but wonder what she would think if she were to see him now. Would she be disgusted with what he had become? Or would she look at him with pity like their sensei and Tsunade were right now.

He couldn't let this happen, Kakashi suddenly decided. He couldn't let himself become weak, vulnerable, he had to snap out whatever funk he was in and move on. He would push away the feeling of being used on his birthday, although he was still convinced he had no right to feel that way…and he would push past the current obstacle set before him. This was not allowed to happen, not to him…he couldn't be that same weak person that hadn't been able to save those closest to him.

"So when can you remove it?" Kakashi asked suddenly, breaking the heavy silence in the room.

"Remove what?" Tsunade asked, caught off guard.

"Whatever it is that's growing inside of me. I want you to get rid of it."

Tsunade's jaw dropped and Minato's eyes widened, neither of them expecting this from the copy-nin, although it probably shouldn't have been that surprising.

"You can't seriously want to abort the baby…" Tsunade began, only to be cut off by the silver-haired man.

"And why the hell couldn't I? You didn't seriously expect me to just happily accept this and go on being pregnant for the next 7 months, did you?"

"I-I…I'm sorry, I can't do that." Tsunade choked out, visibly upset by the idea. She quickly left the room, not wanting the two men to see her get emotional.

"Why is she so upset…I'm the only one who has the right to be upset here."

"Maybe it's because she and Jiraya had tried so hard for so long to have children but were never able to, and here you are wanting to throw that opportunity away."

"This is not the same thing Minato, and you know it. I am a man…this is unnatural!"

"A child is still a child." Minato said softly, hoping the younger man would calm down.

"Don't call it that!" Kakashi snapped, cradling his head in his hands, trying to fight off an impending headache. "Don't you understand that I can't do this? I wasn't meant to do this. I can't be a father…"

"You say that now, but you never really know until the time comes. For the longest time I didn't think that I would make a good father. I was afraid that I would always be too busy, or that I wouldn't be able to deal with somebody so small and fragile. But then Naruto came into our lives and he changed everything. The minute I laid my eyes on him I knew I would be able to do whatever it took to make sure that he had everything he needed."

"That is still different! You were older! You were married! And you certainly weren't the one having that baby!" Kakashi hissed, "you can't tell me what decision I should make when you couldn't possibly understand what I'm going through, what I'm feeling."

"You're absolutely right, our situations were completely different, and I can't pretend to possibly know what you're going through. But I do understand the love a parent has for a child and I know if you throw that away that it might haunt you forever."

Kakashi stayed silent for a moment, thinking over everything the older man had said. It's true the love a parent has for a child is strong, he could see it in the way Minato and Kushina looked at Naruto, and the way that his parent's use to look at him…that was until his father completely lost himself. Everybody important in his life had left him, why would this be any different? What if something happened to the child? Or what if something happened to him, which as a high ranking shinobi wasn't that unlikely, and the child had to experience all the pain he had? And who was to say he could even give the child the love it needed…it had been so long since he had truly cared for anyone he probably wouldn't even be able to care for the child properly.

"Minato, I can't…"

"Please, make me a deal then." Minato interrupted the younger man. "Before you make your final decision, give it another 2 weeks. Think over all the pros and cons of your decision, and if you feel the same way in 2 weeks time, then I will support your decision, and personally see to it that you get the procedure done."

"But if I know I'm not going to change my mind, what's the point? All this is going to do is make me feel like shit for an extra two weeks."

"Please, just humor me."

"But Minato…"

"Don't make me order you as your Hokage."

"Fine! I'll give it two weeks! But don't be expecting any sort of miracle change of heart."

"Two weeks is all I ask." Minato smiled, satisfied with the outcome. He was sure that if Kakashi had time to really think about his decision that there was no way he would chose to abort his child.

The two stayed silent for a few moments, the tension in the room having built up from the seriousness of the conversation. He didn't know if it was the time or place, but there was one last question weighing on Minato's mind.

"So…. you're gay then?" The yellow-haired man asked, causing the younger man to choke on a gasp. Kakashi could feel his cheeks begin to heat up, and he was sure that he was blushing underneath his mask.

"Not completely…" Kakashi began. This was definitely not a conversation he wanted to be having. But he supposed given the fact that he was currently pregnant, he couldn't exactly get away with lying about this one. He sighed and began explaining his preferences to Minato, no matter how mortifying it was.

 **A/N: So, any thoughts? Anything you would like to see happen in future chapters? Let me know! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

"Thank you for your hard work," Iruka said after examining the report in front of him. After a couple of weeks of working in the mission room, he really thought he was finally getting the hang of it. Not that there was all that much to it once you learned the filing system, and got use to speed-reading the reports.

"Here, if you could submit this for me." A voice came from above him. He looked up to see none other then Minato, the Hokage himself. Iruka instantly straightened up, and grabbed the report promptly. He always got slightly nervous around the older man, even though Minato never gave him a reason to. As far as leaders went, he was very kind and approachable, but still, he was the Hokage, and that fact alone intimidated him.

"Of course sir." He started to examine the piece of paper in his hands, and quickly realized that it wasn't a mission report like usual, it was a form for a paid leave of absence. Iruka continued to examine the form, trying his best to keep his reaction neutral when he saw that the form was for Kakashi, and that his leave was due to an undisclosed medical reason.

This instantly caught the younger man's attention, and despite his best efforts he couldn't stop the hundreds of questions that came flooding into his mind. What had happened to the famous ninja? Sure he had seen him in the hospital a few days ago, but he had just assumed that it was a standard minor injury he had sustained on a mission. After all he did look fairly lively in the halls that day, so Iruka had assumed that it couldn't have been anything too serious.

But obviously something was going on, and based on the fact that he was given medical leave for an undetermined amount of time, it must have been fairly serious. He couldn't help but wonder what it could have been. Would the copy-nin be okay? If it were serious enough to take the famous ninja out of commission then maybe he wouldn't be okay…

He so badly wanted to ask the Hokage about what was going on, but knew that it was none of his business, and that the only thing he would gain from asking is that the Hokage would think he was some kind of busy body that couldn't help but stick his nose into other peoples business. No he couldn't ask…but he still had a strong urge to know.

He couldn't figure out why he wanted to know so bad, after all, every encounter he had had with the Jounin had been a negative one…starting with _that_ night, to that tense incident in the mission room, and finally to that day in the hospital when he had received a death glare and had been called an 'asshole'. Given all that, he should care less about what happened to the copy-nin, other then in the standard 'leaf shinobi always look out for their own' sort of way.

But for whatever reason he couldn't let this go, and he needed to know. So even though it was against all mission room protocols, and if he was ever caught he could be fired, he took a mental note of the address listed on Kakashi's file. Sure he had been there once already, but he had been in such a rush and panic that morning that he didn't remember where the other man lived.

He tried not to be too obvious about it, quickly looking over the rest of the report. "Everything looks to be in order Hokage-sama, I'll make sure it gets submitted immediately."

"Thanks Iruka-san. Have a good day." Minato replied politely.

"Thank you sir, you as well." Iruka said, giving a slight bow as the Hokage walked away. He sent the file off to be submitted, and proceeded to check the clock every few minutes to see when he could get out of there.

~ **Break** ~

The last two days had been the most boring two days of Kakashi's life. He had literally done nothing but eat, sleep, and sit around his apartment. Sure he had been injured before and had been kept in the hospital for a few days at a time, but that was different. He was there to heal, but these last few days didn't seem to have a point…he had already made up his mind about what he wanted to do, and whether he had two weeks, two months, or two years to think about it, he wasn't going to change his mind.

So to him, the last few days, and the coming days, were just unnecessary torture where he would continue to get sick, and was forbidden to do anything, and it was all completely pointless. But as much as he hated it, he did receive a direct order from his Hokage, so there was nothing he could do about it even if he wanted to. At least Minato was a fair man and was giving him the choice in the end…

"This sucks…" The silver-haired ninja groaned, getting up from his couch, about to make his way back into his room. He figured he might as well have another nap since there was nothing else to do. But before he could make it across the room, a knock came at the door, much to his surprise.

The only person he could think of that would visit him would be Kushina or Minato, and as far as he knew Kushina was away visiting family, and Minato should still be at work for another couple of hours.

He supposed it could be Lady Tsunade checking up on him once again…he had barley been out of the hospital 24 hours now and he could swear that she had already dropped by four or five times. Well as long as she wasn't there for yet another blood test, he supposed he didn't care at this point. At least listening to her medical jargon nonsense was _something_ to do.

Kakashi flung the door open, not even bothering to look through the peephole, after all he was sure it could only be one of three people on the other side.

As the door opened, revealing the person behind it, Kakashi could literally feel the breath get caught in his throat, and he could have sworn his heart skipped a beat. This was literally the last person in all of Konoha that he was expecting to see.

Standing before him, in his ninja uniform, with his hair tied neatly back, was none other than Umino Iruka, the tanned Chuunin who was the cause of all his current problems. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what the younger man would be doing here…after all their previous meetings, he had given the brunette no reason to want to be around him.

"What the hell do you want?" Kakashi asked sharply, his anger beginning to rise upon seeing the Chuunin.

"I…I was just…umm…" Iruka stuttered over his words, suddenly very unsure of why he was there himself. He really had no right to be there, or to be concerned…the copy-nin had every right to be pissed about his presence. But after work his legs seemed to just take him here, almost against his will, and now that he was actually here, he tried to think if there was any way he could get out of it.

"Well? Why are you here?" Kakashi asked again, the annoyance even more evident in his voice.

"I…I heard you were ill, and I just…" Iruka trailed off, he felt stupid even saying anything. He began to realize just how bad of an idea this was.

"You heard I was ill…who did you talk to?" Kakashi snapped, feeling a small amount of panic set in.

"Nobody…" Iruka replied honestly, taking a step back upon seeing the seething look on the silver-haired man's face.

"What the hell did you hear?!"

"Nothing! I just saw you at the hospital the other day and thought…"

"And thought what? That it was somehow your business?! You didn't talk to Minato did you?" Kakashi suddenly asked, a sudden thought crossing his mind.

Minato wouldn't have told anybody about his 'condition' right? He was definitely not the kind of man that would do that…but what if he somehow knew? He couldn't think of one possible way where Minato would have known who the father was, but stranger things had happened. He was Hokage after all, and he became Hokage not only because of his power, but also because of his people skills, and his ability to perceive things…so it wouldn't have been too ludicrous of a thought to think that he would know that Iruka was the father…

Was Minato really so desperate to change his mind about the fate of the fetus that he would betray him and tell Iruka the truth? Did he really think the fact that the Chuunin knew the truth would really change his mind?

"No…Kakashi…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come." Iruka apologized, about to turn to leave when the older man spoke.

"You should be sorry! If Minato really thought telling you would change my mind then he was wrong! You think just because we got drunk and you fucked me that you would really have any say what so ever on whether I ended this pregnancy or not!"

Iruka instantly froze at the mention of their night together, the way Kakashi talked about it with such venom made the brunette feel guilty despite himself. He really didn't mean to hurt the famous-nin like he obviously had, and any feelings of bitterness he still held toward the Jounin seemed to disappear. And as upset as he himself had been that night, it had obviously affected the older male more, so he had no right to continue to feel sorry for himself.

"Well I hate to break it to you, and to Minato, but you have absolutely no say in this, alright? This is my body, and my decision, and I certainly won't be turning myself into some experimental freak of nature just to bring your child into the world!" Kakashi hissed, slamming the door right in Iruka's face before the Chuunin could even process what was being said.

After the door was closed he stood there frozen for a few minutes, his brain trying to comprehend what had been said. Pregnancy? Bringing your child into this world? Becoming an experimental freak of nature? What the hell was Kakashi talking about? There was no way he could have been serious…but he didn't really sound like he was joking around either... Which must mean that the copy-nin was delirious. He must have been sicker then Iruka had thought.

But his words…what he said…there was no way it could be real, but still, how was he suppose to forget that? He had so many questions that needed answers. He knew it should be none of his business, but Kakashi's delusions included him, so maybe he did have some right to know? He needed to talk to someone about this…and quick.

~ **Break** ~

Iruka knocked hesitantly at the office door, knowing that he shouldn't be doing this, and that he was definitely crossing some sort of line. But he had a few questions that needed answering and he couldn't think of anyone else that would be able to answer them.

"Come in!" He heard a voice shout from the other side of the door.

He did as he was told, entering the office; beginning to regret his decision with each step he took.

"Oh, Iruka. Was there something I could help you with?" Minato asked, looking up from the paper work he had been working on his desk. He gestured for the brunette to take a seat.

"Well I…" Iruka began, now sitting across from the Hokage. What the hell had he been thinking? He couldn't just barge into the Hokage's office and start asking him such personal questions about one of his subordinates. He would surely have his job at the mission room for this…and maybe even his job at the academy. Who knows, maybe he would even take away his title as a ninja altogether!

The Chuunin started to panic at the thought, but then remembered why he was here, the words that Kakashi had spoken to him. Pregnant…his child….experimental freak of nature…and he knew he needed to know the truth, no matter the consequences.

"It's about Kakashi-san," the brunette started, needing to take a moment to build up his courage. "I-I'm concerned about him."

"Why? What happened? He wasn't out and about was he? He's suppose to be taking it easy…" Minato mumbled, shaking his head. When would that fool learn his limits?

"No, it's nothing like that…I actually stopped by his apartment earlier today…and he said some things that have me concerned." Iruka could feel himself begin to sweat slightly, he was getting more and more nervous by the second. There's a good chance that the Hokage wasn't even going to believe him. The things that Kakashi had said were pretty unbelievable after all…what if he thought he was making the whole thing up?

"What is it Iruka? And why were you at his apartment? I didn't know the two of you were friends."

"We're not…not exactly…"

"Well what is it?"

"He was going on about some pretty unbelievable stuff, and I was just wondering if he was going to be alright?"

"What kind of unbelievable stuff?"

"Well…something about being an experimental freak, and about being pregnant…" Iruka trailed off, deciding it was best to leave out the part about him being the father.

"He actually told you that?!" Minato's eyes widened in shock. He could not believe that Kakashi would so willingly tell somebody else about his situation. He would have thought that the silver-haired ninja would want to die before anybody found out the truth. And yet he opened up to somebody who was practically a stranger to him? Unless there was another reason…the wheels began turning in his head as he began to look at all the pieces of information he had.

Kakashi was pregnant…he seemed to instantly dislike Iruka the first time they had met at the mission's desk…Kakashi had told Iruka the truth…the dots began connecting themselves in his mind, and he looked up at the Chuunin sitting across from him in complete shock.

"I don't believe it!" He nearly shouted. "You're the father aren't you!"

"W-what? What are you talking about?!" Iruka was completely taken aback by the older man's outburst. How did he know Kakashi had accused him of being the father? And what was that look on his face? He didn't actually believe Kakashi's crazy story did he?

"There's no way in the world he would have told you unless you were…I have to say, I'm a little disappointed in you Iruka…you're engaged to be married." Minato said, although he held no real judgment in his voice. It wasn't his place to judge what his subordinates did in their personal lives; it was only because this involved Kakashi, someone who was like a son to him, that he took it a little personally.

"Y-yes…wait…you're not telling me you believe him? You don't believe that he's actually pregnant do you?" Iruka sputtered out, his face heating up when he realized the Hokage had known he had cheated on his fiancée…with a man no less.

"Look," Minato sighed, "It's a long story, and I don't really feel like explaining all the details right now, if you want you can ask Kakashi or Lady Tsunade about those…all you need to know is that thanks to an experimental drug that was accidently given to Kakashi he is indeed pregnant."

Iruka sat frozen in horror. He couldn't be serious could he? Judging by the look on his face he was definitely serious…but how was this possible? Was it really because of some drug? He supposed he had heard about weirder things happening in the ninja world then that, but still…

And if Kakashi was really pregnant then…could he really be the father? They did have that night together…and Kakashi had claimed it was his child…he couldn't believe this, this couldn't be happening.

All he had wanted to do was forget about that night, to be able to move on and spend his life with Tsubaki…but the images and memories from that night had kept haunting him, and now this…there wasn't only going to be a mental reminder of that night, but a physical reminder as well.

He could feel himself begin to grow a little nauseous, and he just prayed that he wouldn't pass out right there in the middle of the Hokage's office.

"I know you must be shocked, trust me I was shocked too. Not quite as shocked as Kakashi though." Minato tried to joke, hoping to lighten the mood, but failing miserably. He could see the tanned man before him had almost gone completely pale. "Anyway, I normally wouldn't betray Kakashi like this, he is like a son to me after all…but since this involves the baby, which is just as much yours as it is his, I feel that I must tell you. Kakashi plans to terminate the pregnancy. He did give me his word that he would think it over for two weeks first, but he seems pretty determined about it. And I don't know how you're going to feel about this whole situation, maybe you will want it gone as much as he does, but if you do feel differently, then I urge you to try your best to convince him. Maybe he will take your opinion more seriously then mine or Tsunade's."

Minato finished his speech, only to see the man sitting across from him looking even more pale and panicked then before. He couldn't blame the younger man; it must have all been a huge shock. He remembered how much he had freaked out when he found out Kushina was pregnant, and she was his wife, not to mention a woman…so finding out that you some how got a man pregnant that was practically a stranger to you couldn't be a situation that one could easily get their mind around.

After a few more minutes of sitting there frozen, Iruka was finally able to calm his nerves enough to excuse himself and leave the Hokage's office. He instantly rushed to the washroom down the hall, and emptied the contents of his stomach.

The Hokage had actually confirmed what he had assumed was one big delusion. Iruka could feel bile rise up in his throat again at the thought, but he managed to keep it down this time. He slowly got to his feet, feeling slightly dizzy as he left the washroom stall.

He took a few moments to rinse his mouth out and splash some water over his face, trying in vain to calm his shaken nerves.

What was he supposed to do now? He was only 23 years old; he was nowhere near ready to become a father yet. And not only that, the person caring his child wasn't even his fiancée…or a woman. How was he going to explain this to Tsubaki? No…there was no way he could possibly tell her.

The Hokage did say after all that Kakashi intended to terminate the pregnancy, so maybe he was worrying for nothing. If he simply ended the pregnancy, then problem solved right? Then he wouldn't have to worry about the reality of becoming a father, or telling his fiancée the truth. But as soon as that thought entered his mind, a wave of guilt instantly shot though him, causing him to almost have to run back to the bathroom stall.

How could he even think such a thing? It wasn't the child's fault that he and Kakashi had made a mistake. Why should it be punished for their stupidity?

Iruka groaned, his head beginning to ache from all the different conflicting emotions swirling through him.

But even if he ended up not wanting Kakashi to terminate the pregnancy, and even if he decided he did want to take on the role of father, Kakashi seemed pretty determined earlier…he doubted he could change the other man's mind even if he wanted to.

What the hell was he supposed to do? It was at times like this that he really wished his parents were still alive so he could ask their advice…not that he would really want them to find out about this. But other then them he was never really close enough to anybody to open up to them, except for Tsubaki, but he certainly couldn't ask her for advice about this.

Iruka sighed, looking at himself for a few more moments in the mirror, thoughts continuing to swirl in his mind, when he nodded to himself, coming to a decision.

No matter how weird and unplanned the situation was, he wanted to do the right thing. He wanted to be a man that his parent's could be proud of, a man that could actually deserve the love of a good woman like Tsubaki…and maybe he had already blown the chance to be that man because of the mistakes he had made to get himself into this situation, but he wanted to try and make amends for his mistakes by doing the right thing now.

And he decided that the right thing would be to try and save the child. Maybe he didn't have the right to decide or interfere, and maybe he wouldn't be able to change Kakashi's mind, but he had to at least try.

 **A/N: Thoughts? As always I would love to hear them. And would love to know what you guys think about where I'm taking this story, and if there was anything specific you might like to see in future chapters. I would take any suggestions into consideration. I also apologize for any mistakes, this is unbeat'd.**

 **And starting next week I am starting a new semester at school, meaning I will be a lot busier, so updates may be a little slower. Although I do have quite a few chapters written a head of time, so updates won't disappear altogether or anything.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here is the next chapter! Thank you to those who favorited and followed this story, but a special thanks to those who reviewed! It's really great to hear what you thought and get any sort of feedback. And I would love to hear more from you all this week. Enjoy!**

Kakashi groaned, searching through the fridge for something to eat, only to close it disappointed when nothing caught his eye.

The two weeks he had promised Minato he would think about things was quickly coming to a close, and he couldn't be happier about that. Unfortunately over the course of the two weeks, his 'symptoms' as he liked to call them, had begun to increase, especially his cravings.

He had tried ignoring them at first, reasoning that there was no point in giving into such weird cravings when it was all for nothing, seeing as it would soon be over. But slowly his resolve had begun to break and his cravings were stronger then his reasoning was. And right now they were telling him that he wanted, no needed, pickles and peanut butter…both of which he was currently out of.

He sighed, defeated, preparing himself to go out. He hated going out in public since he had found out the news. He knew logically that no body would ever know by looking at him, it's not like he had gained any weight yet, if anything he might have even lost a couple of pounds because of the amount he had been getting sick…but still. When he was out in public he couldn't push past the paranoia that everybody knew.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," he muttered out loud after his stomach gave an audible growl, "just shut up would ya."

~ **Break** ~

"Ooh, this fish looks nice and fresh," Tsubaki commented, stopping at a stand at the market. Her and her fiancée were currently out shopping for their groceries for the week, not that he was being much help. She asked him a question, and looked up at him when she received no response, only to see him staring at nothing in particular, definitely lost in thought. She waved a hand in his face and spoke a little louder this time. "Earth to Iruka…are you still with me?"

"Huh?" Iruka said confused, receiving an annoyed glance from the raven-haired female. She wasn't usually one to get so irritated over something minor like Iruka spacing out, but it was becoming more and more common, especially over the last few days and she couldn't for the life of her figure out why. Her thoughts kept traveling back to the thought that he might be having second thoughts about the wedding, which scared her, so she tried her best to ignore it. But if things kept going the way they were, she might have no option but to confront it sooner or later…she just hoped things returned back to normal and that it wouldn't have to come to that.

"I asked if you could go pick up the produce on the list while I finish up here?" She asked again, doing her best to keep all signs of annoyance out of her voice.

"Yeah, sure." Iruka agreed, taking the list and heading off to the other side of the market.

Iruka sighed, knowing his fiancée wasn't happy with him, although she tried to hide it, and he couldn't blame her. He had been really distracted over the last week, ever since he had found out the truth, and things were only getting worse as time went on.

He had decided that he wanted to try and convince Kakashi not to abort the pregnancy, but any attempt he had tried had failed miserably.

He had been in too much shock to do anything the first couple of days, but by the third day he had mustered up enough courage to go over to the Jounin's apartment, only to have the door promptly shut in his face before he could say anything. He had tried again everyday for the rest of the week, more often then not receiving no answer at all, although he sometimes got the odd 'fuck off' being shouted through the door.

He had begun to get more and more discouraged, as the week was drawing to a close, and he knew he was running out of time. How was he supposed to convince him of anything, if he didn't even get the opportunity to see him?

Iruka was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going, and could feel himself walk straight into someone. The two of them fell backwards from the force of the impact, causing Iruka to land harshly on his butt.

He knew it had been his fault for being so distracted, and looked up at the other person to apologize, only for his eyes to widen when he saw whom it was that he had bumped into. It was none other then the man that had been weighing so heavily on his mind all week. He couldn't believe his luck, but his thoughts quickly turned into panic when he realized that the older man must have hit the ground as hard as he had.

"Oh my God, are you okay?!" Iruka said, once he snapped out of his thoughts. His voice was heavy with concern, as he rushed over to the silver-haired man, to help him up.

"Don't touch me," Kakashi hissed, as Iruka tried to grab his hand. He got up on his own, dusting his clothes off annoyed. He was about to walk away, when he suddenly remembered what he had been carrying.

He looked down in horror to see his jar of peanut butter had been shattered, and the bag with the pickles had torn open, leaving them lying in the dirt. Seeing the food he had been so looking forward to lying on the ground like that caused an unexpected reaction to bubble up inside of him.

Tears began to sting his eyes, cursing the wave of emotion that was coming over him. He knew it was just another 'symptom' and he had experienced minor spikes in his emotions before, but nothing like this. He felt truly devastated, which he knew was completely ridiculous. It was just food…

Iruka seeing the tears shine in the other man's eyes began to panic, mistaking them for something else. Had he fallen harder then he realized? Was he in pain? Did something happen to the baby? But before he could freak out too much over it, he felt the older man grab him by the front of the shirt, and push him forcibly against the nearest wall.

"How dare you!" Kakashi hissed, quietly enough that he wouldn't draw too much attention their way.

"I'm really sorry, are you okay?" Iruka apologized, concern filling his voice.

"No, I am not okay! Do you know how much I was looking forward to that peanut butter and pickles!?" He snapped.

"Wait…you're upset about the food?" Iruka asked confused, being so sure that Kakashi must've been hurt or something.

"Of course I'm upset about the food!" Kakashi practically cried, offended that Iruka would even question that. "I've been craving that all day! And I didn't bring my wallet just a bit of cash, so I can't even buy more if I wanted to!"

"I'm sorry," Iruka said calmly, trying to pry open the grip the other man had on his shirt, only to give up, realizing it was no use.

As bad as he had felt about knocking the other man down and upsetting him, he still really wanted to talk to him, and saw this as his opportunity to do so.

"Listen, I've really wanted to talk to you this past week." Iruka started, only to be quickly cut off by the other man.

"Well I have nothing to say to you." Kakashi hissed, letting go of the front of the Chuunin's shirt, turning around to walk away.

"I will buy you more peanut butter and pickles if you just hear me out!" Iruka said desperately before the other man was out of earshot.

Kakashi turned around, shooting him a venomous look, about to tell him off when he felt his stomach churn with hunger once again, and he knew nothing else would do except the food he was so desperately craving.

"You have 5 minutes." The Jounin agreed eventually, crossing his arms in annoyance. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to the younger man, but at this point he was desperate enough to do anything.

The two of them stayed silent as Iruka went to the necessary stands to buy the peanut butter and pickles, before walking with Kakashi to an area just outside the market, so they could talk with a small amount of privacy.

The two sat on a bench, Iruka handing over the bag with the items in it, hoping the other man wouldn't simply walk away after he gave them to him.

But much to his surprise, Kakashi not only didn't walk away, but he practically tore the bag open, opening the peanut butter, and dipping a pickle into it right then and there. He was caught a little off guard by the scene, and couldn't help but blush when the older man began to moan as he ate.

He wasn't sure what to say, completely out of sorts because of the noises coming from him. It sounded more like he was in the middle of sex rather then an afternoon snack. And that caused images from their night together to flood his mind.

 _Kakashi ground his hips down into the other man's, moaning as their arousals rubbed together. Iruka arched his back, biting his tongue to keep from crying out at the contact._

" _Are you ready?" The silver-haired man whispered into his ear, giving it a small nibble, before he began trailing his hand down the younger man's back._

 _Iruka squeaked in surprise when he felt the other man stroking his entrance, his eyes widening when he realized what this meant. He had never been with another man before, but he had a pretty good idea how it worked, and as absolutely drunk as he was, he wasn't drunk enough for that._

 _He thought about getting up and leaving right then and there, but his hard on throbbed, crying out for release. So before he could over think it, he used every ounce of his strength to flip the two of them over, so he was now lying on top of the Jounin._

 _Kakashi was surprised by the move, and was about to protest, when the Chuunin grabbed his lengths and gave it a couple of firm strokes. He couldn't help but moan at the contact, no longer carrying what positions they were in, or who was going to do what. He needed this and he needed it now._

 _So when the younger man began stroking his entrance, giving him a questioning look, he just nodded his head yes, giving him permission to continue._

 _The finger felt strange at first, having never allowed somebody to enter him like this, but after a few minutes of adjusting, it actually began feeling a lot better then he could have ever imagined._

 _Iruka added a second finger, watching the other man's face as he adjusted to it. A wave of arousal washed over him as the other man began so moan in pleasure, causing Iruka's cock to twitch in anticipation. He couldn't remember a time when he had wanted something, someone, so bad…_

Iruka snapped back out of his thoughts, pushing the memories as far away as he possibly could. He was not going to allow himself to go there, especially not when Kakashi was literally sitting a couple of feet away from him. He turned his head away from the other man, trying to hide his blush, as he waited for him to finish.

After what felt like an eternity, the noises coming from the other man finally stopped, and he could hear him doing back up the jar. He finally allowed himself to look back up, only to see a sight that he had never seen from the other man before.

Kakashi was actually smiling. He almost couldn't believe his eyes at first. Not only that, but he was actually seeing Kakashi's face. Not that he hadn't seen his face before, he saw it _that_ night, but things had been a little hazy because of the booze, so he never got a chance to _really_ see it. His features were a lot softer then he would have imagined, and he was actually a pretty handsome guy. Not that he assumed he would be unattractive, he had always just thought that he must be scared or there must be some other reason he wore the mask, but other then the scar across his eye, his face was completely normal…perfect.

Iruka quickly looked away once he realized he was staring, trying to hide any signs of blush. And once he looked back Kakashi's mask was pulled up once again, and there was a clear scowl on his face. So much for his good mood…

"Alright, like I promised, you have 5 minutes." Kakashi said simply, glaring expectantly at the younger man.

Iruka had been so distracted by the other man's eating, and unwanted memories from that night, that he had completely forgotten what he had wanted to say. Not that he had really known in the first place…

"4 minutes…"

Crap, Iruka cursed mentally. He had been trying so hard over the past week to get a moment like this, and he knew he probably wouldn't be able to get an opportunity like this again. He began to panic slightly, his mind drawing a complete blank.

"3 minutes…"

Iruka snapped out of his thoughts, pushing his panic aside. He just needed to say something… "Don't do it." He blurted out, mentally slapping himself.

He had so much time this past week to come up with something intelligent to say, and that was what he ended up going with?

"Assuming you're talking about what I think you're talking about, like I told you, you really have no say in the matter." Kakashi sighed.

"I know, but the child it part mine right? Shouldn't you at least hear me out?" Iruka asked, unsure where this sudden bout of confidence was coming from.

"Don't refer to it as a child…it is not a child. It is an undeveloped fetus that is the result of some weird lab experiment! And as far as it being part yours, nothing about it is yours. You may have done the 'oh so hard job' of providing part of the DNA, but that means absolutely nothing in the end. This is my body, and therefore my decision." Kakashi snapped, his anger and frustration beginning to build up.

"You might think of it as an undeveloped fetus, but it is growing more and more everyday, and it will eventually become a child if you give it a chance. And I know that this can't be easy, it's not easy for me either, but it's not the baby's fault, and it shouldn't have to be punished."

"I said not to call it a child or a baby!" Kakashi shouted, standing up from the bench in anger.

"Why not! That's what it is! It's a child!" Iruka shot back, surprised at himself for getting so worked up. He had planned to have a calm and rational conversation with the other man, and had told himself that he would accept whatever decision Kakashi made at the end of it. Which was clearly no longer the case.

"No, it's a science experiment!"

"It's a child! A baby! A human being! Maybe thinking of it as some sort of experimental freak of nature makes it easier for you to want to kill it, it gives you an excuse…but no matter how much you think about it that way, in the end it is still a child, an innocent creature that has done absolutely nothing wrong in it's short existence, yet it is about to pay the ultimate price, because of your selfishness!"

The words hit the older man hard, and he felt a small wave of nausea wash over him. He had to fight back tears as his anger began to boil.

"How dare you," Kakashi snapped, his voice becoming slightly uneven. "You have NO idea what I am going through. It is so easy for you to sit there and judge me, when you're not the one who's pregnant! You're not the one who experiences the pain and the symptoms, it's not your body that's going to be destroyed, it's not going to be you receiving the disgusted looks from people around you, and it won't be you that has to worry about raising it afterwards. You actually have the gull to stand there and judge me and say all these things, when at the end of the day you get to go home to your beautiful fiancée and live a happy and normal life, leaving me to have to live my life as a freak and to face this burden alone! It would be different if we had been a couple or something, and that you would be there through the process, then maybe you might have some right to ask me to keep it…but this was the result of a drunken one night stand, so get the idea out of your head right now that you have any say in the matter what so ever!"

Iruka took a step back from the older man, his words overwhelming him. He couldn't deny that Kakashi had a point. He had convinced himself last week that he wanted to 'do the right thing' so that he could try and make up for his mistakes. But who was he to decide what the right thing actually was…he thought for sure that convincing Kakashi to keep the baby was the right thing, but if it would make the older man that miserable, then whose to say that it was…maybe the right thing would've been for him to just stay out of it and let Kakashi make whatever decision he wanted to? And he was right, even if he did manage to convince him to keep the baby, then what? Would he actually be able to be in the child's life? Or would his fear of losing his perfect normal life keep him away?

"Kakashi, please just calm down and we can try and talk this out," Iruka suggested weakly, although he was quickly losing his own resolve. Was there really any point in continuing to talk? He was unsure at this point.

"No, we are done talking. I gave you more then 5 minutes." Kakashi hissed, the venom practically dripping from his voice. He turned around to leave when a sudden sharp pain seemed to hit him out of nowhere. He clutched his stomach, doubling over from the pain, almost feeling like he had just been stabbed.

Iruka was by his side in a second, placing his hand on the older man's back.

Kakashi would've normally recoiled from the touch, but the pain was so intense that he couldn't think of anything else.

"Fuck, it hurts so bad…" He hissed, all the strength rapidly draining from him. He didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was couldn't have been good. At that point he was sure mother nature was taking care of what he had planned to do himself in a couple of days. And for some reason, the idea didn't make him as happy as he thought it would've.

He let out a cry as another intense pain washed over him, causing him to completely lose his footing. He would've fallen to the ground if it weren't for the younger man standing beside him.

He could feel Iruka holding him, and could sort of make out him saying something, but he couldn't make out what, when everything around him went completely black.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: A special thanks to VampireDoll666 and tineyninja, for continuing to review and support this story. I really appreciate it and would love to hear what more of you think. But regardless, I hope you all enjoy this week's chapter!**

" _Daddy, daddy, look!" The little silver-haired girl yelled running up to her father. Clutched tightly in her hands was a piece of paper, which she promptly shoved into her father's face._

" _Wow, look at this," the older man smiled brightly at the picture he took from his daughter's hands, "it's beautiful!"_

" _You really think so daddy?" The girl asked with so much hope in her voice. "I drew it specially for you!"_

" _Really? Just for me? Thank you so much."_

" _Happy birthday daddy!" The little girl giggled, throwing her arms around her father's neck._

" _Thank you sweetheart." The silver-haired man whispered, pulling the little girl close to him. He held her tight, and tried to bite back the sob he felt at the back of his throat. It had been so long since he had felt anything close to this, since he had felt love like this, and the feeling was truly overwhelming. There was nowhere in the world he would rather be._

 _But the moment didn't last long, when a crash came through the front door. Both father and daughter looked up to see whom it was, the silver-haired man's eyes widening when he saw._

" _It's me…" Kakashi whispered, seeing someone who was an exact clone of himself, standing where their front door use to be. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"_

" _I am you…" The figured answered, smirking at the two of them. "I'm here to dispose of the problem for you. That's what you want isn't it?"_

" _What the hell are you talking about!?" Kakashi yelled, standing up, making sure the small girl was hidden behind him._

" _I'm following your wish. It's all you've been thinking about for the past two weeks isn't it?" The figure took a step closer, causing Kakashi to take a step back._

" _I, I don't understand…" Kakashi began to panic, at the cold look in his doppelgänger's eyes._

" _She's nothing but a science experiment. Brought into this world by a freak of nature…remember?" The Kakashi standing by the door sneered, and before the other Kakashi could do anything, he was across the room and back by the front door in the blink of an eye._

 _Now Kakashi stood in the middle of the living room, staring at his doppelganger who now had the young girl in his arms._

" _Give her back! Give her back right now!" Kakashi hissed, feeling his panic rise even further. He could see the look of terror in the young girls eyes, and it nearly killed him to see. She was scared, and confused, and her eyes were begging for her daddy to do something_

" _Why would you want me to give her back? You're the one that didn't want her! I'm only following your wish!"_

 _Kakashi froze at his clone's words, knowing that he was right. But it was different now…now that he had a chance to meet her, spend so much time with her…she wasn't an experiment; she was every bit as human as everyone else. She was full of so much joy and love, and brought so much happiness to his life._

" _Daddy help!" The little girl cried out, tears now spilling from her eyes. "Daddy please!"_

" _I changed my mind!" Kakashi shouted, desperate to get the little girl back into his arms. He was supposed to be her father, he was supposed to be able to protect her, but there was nothing he could do but stand there helplessly. He wouldn't be able to save her, just like he hadn't been able to help his father escape his grief, or save Obito from being crushed by rocks, or save Rin, who instead had to save him._

" _You've already made your decision! I'm afraid you can't just change your mind! It's time to say goodbye." His clone sneered, as he and the little girl in his arms began to fade away._

" _NO! Give her back!" Kakashi shouted, lunging across the room, only for the two of them to vanish completely. "Get back here you bastard and give her back! Give my daughter back!"_

"Give her back!" Kakashi shouted, tears stinging his eyes as he shot up from the bed he had been lying in. He looked around the room panicked, desperately searching for the two that had disappeared, only to realize he wasn't in the same room at all. His living room had been replaced by four blank, white walls, and his clone holding the little girl was replaced by the familiar blonde medical-nin.

"Good, you're awake."

"Where is she?" Kakashi asked, as he continued to search the room for signs of the little girl.

"Where is who?" Tsunade asked confused, as she approached the bed where the visibly upset Jounin was sitting.

Kakashi took a couple of deep breaths, as reality finally began to set back in. Out of instinct his hand flew to his stomach and he looked up at Tsunade with wide, questioning eyes.

"Calm down, the baby is fine," Tsunade said softly, gently guiding Kakashi back down into a lying position. "But you need to relax okay?"

"What happened?" The Jounin asked, trying to calm his shaken nerves, but to no avail.

"You passed out, so Iruka brought you to the hospital right away, which was definitely the right decision." Tsunade answered, hovering her glowing green hands over his abdomen, to see if everything was still all right.

"Iruka?" Kakashi said confused, until the days earlier events began to come back to him. "Oh…right…"

"He told me the two of you were arguing before you passed out, so I believe the incident was stress based. I told you that you needed to take it easy, there is still so much unknown about your condition. It appears when you got as upset as you did that some of the chakra that is in place creating your 'faux womb' was transported to other parts of your body, as if your body was subconsciously preparing for battle. Once you passed out, your body repaired the situation and you're 'faux womb' fixed itself."

Tsunade finished; pulling her hands away once she was satisfied that everything was back to normal. She made a few notes on the chart she had in her hands, before completing a head to toe examination.

Kakashi just lied back silently as Tsunade did her check up, the entire days events playing back in his mind.

How he had woken up so sure of himself that morning, to how he had run into Iruka, and all the emotions that had come along with that. And then finally to the dream that he had just had…it had been so vivid and had seemed so real, which only caused a completely different set of emotions to surge through him.

He remembered being so confused while talking to Iruka about the decision he had made, but as the dream flashed through his mind, all his confusion seemed to vanish.

"Alright," Tsunade sighed after finishing up the rest of her exam. "Everything seems to be in order, but there is still the matter of the next step we're going to take…I know I got a little emotional two weeks back when you first mentioned it, but Minato talked things out with me and I do realize that this is your decision…and since the two weeks is pretty much up, and you're here in the hospital anyway, I figured I'd get your decision. If it's still your desire, we can begin the procedure this evening…"

"No!" Kakashi cut her off, wrapping his arms around his middle protectively, remembering the sight of the little girl fading away, and him not being able to do anything. It was like he had been given a second chance, a second chance to protect her, a second chance to prove he wasn't weak and that he could protect those important to him. He might have failed in the past, but this was his chance to change that. He was so sure that if he was to allow himself to let this happen that it would make him weak, vulnerable, and he wanted to avoid that at all costs…but he was beginning to realize that it was the opposite that was true. What was weak was the fact that he had wanted to run away from the situation, that he had wanted to give up before he had even tried.

What would all the people that he had loved and lost have thought if they saw him giving up on any chance of being happy, or of being loved? They would probably tell him to snap the hell out of it, and get over him self. He could almost picture Rin with her hands on her hips giving him one of her signature looks, all while giving him a long-winded lecture that he couldn't escape from. He couldn't help but smile at the thought, remembering the girl he had once cared about so deeply. And the fact that he was remembering her without the familiar pain in his chest, it was almost like she was giving him her approval.

"I've made my decision," he said, looking up at the medical-nin, "nobody is going to take her away from me."

A huge smile grew on Tsunade's face, and she could swear she could feel tears begin to sting her eyes. She was so happy for Kakashi and the decision he made, and couldn't help but feel that this would be a whole new beginning for him. And that maybe his heart would finally start to heal itself.

"I'm so happy to hear that Kakashi, and I will be here for you every step of the way." Tsunade sniffed, stealthily wiping away any tears that might have escaped. "You said 'her' by the way… it's too early to tell the gender."

"I know, I just have this feeling." Kakashi whispered, seeing the young girl's face from his dream in his mind, smiling to himself.

When he had woken up that morning he would have never have guessed by the end of the day that he would have had such a change of heart, and he couldn't quite explain it. He was so sure of himself, and so set on his decision, that this new feeling completely baffled him.

Whether it was the dream alone, or being faced with the real life actuality of losing the child, he didn't care. He also no longer cared about all the reason he originally had for wanting to abort the child…he didn't care that he may be seen as some sort of freak of nature, and he didn't care that the child was only created as a result of a one night stand and an experimental drug…because now he realized that whether or not how it happened was 'normal', that didn't change the fact that the child growing inside of him was real, and that it was his. And as for being afraid that he wouldn't be able to love the child properly, given all the heartache in his past, he was no longer worried. For those few seconds after he had woken up, and the shear terror he felt at the idea that he had lost the child, told him everything he needed to know about whether he would be able to love the child or not.

"Oh, before I forget," Tsunade said, turning around before she left the room. "Iruka is still out in the waiting room. He's been there since he brought you in a couple of hours ago."

"Oh…" Kakashi answered, not even considering that the younger man would still be around. He didn't know how he felt about it, especially now that he had made his decision. The anger he had felt towards the other man had almost disappeared entirely, because he no longer blamed him for turning him into a freak of nature, and if anything was thankful towards him for giving him this gift…but still. That didn't change the fact that Iruka had slept with him and left before he had woken up, although he really was trying not to hold that against him seeing as he had done that to plenty of women and men himself.

And there was also the fact that Iruka was currently engaged and that he would never be able to be in the child's life properly, at least not if he wanted to salvage his relationship with his fiancée. But despite how he now felt, or how Iruka felt, he didn't think he was ready to face the other man, not yet.

"Could you just tell him that things are fine and try and get rid of him for me?" Kakashi asked hopefully, only to receive a 'look' from the older woman.

"Kakashi…I don't want to lecture you or anything, but it doesn't take a genius to figure this out. Iruka looked genuinely concerned when he brought you in, and he hasn't moved from the waiting room since. He's the father isn't he?"

Kakashi stayed silent, avoiding the older woman's gaze, which gave her the answer she needed.

"It's up to you, but I don't think he's going to leave just because I tell him you're fine. He doesn't seem like he will be satisfied until he see's you're fine for himself…although if it's going to stress you out even a little, I want you to avoid it."

Kakashi sighed, really not wanting to have to face the younger man, at least not yet, but at the same time he tried to put himself in Iruka's shoes and didn't doubt the fact that he might actually be worried. After all despite the circumstances, he was technically the other father, so he probably deserved at least the peace of mind that everything was fine.

"Fine…you can send him in. But if the conversation doesn't end in like 5 minutes you should come up with some kind of excuse to end it."

"Deal," Tsunade agreed, happy that Kakashi was even talking to him at all.

Kakashi sighed, leaning back and closing his eyes. He didn't realize just how tired he was until now. The day's ups and downs really took it out of him.

He heard the door open and close slowly, and heard the hesitant footsteps cross the room. He took a deep breath, before he opened his eyes, looking up at the younger man, who almost looked surprised to see him.

"I'm sorry, I hope I didn't wake you! I know you must be really tired." Iruka said with concern, playing with his hands nervously.

"No, you didn't…I was just resting my eyes." Kakashi said, trying his best to put on a fake smile.

A tense silence fell over them. It definitely wasn't a normal situation and neither man knew exactly what to say to the other.

"Listen…I'm sorry if you were worried. But as Tsunade probably already mentioned, everything is fine." Kakashi finally said after he realized that Iruka wasn't going to be the one to break the silence.

"Yeah, I mean after I saw you faint…I'm, I'm glad everything is alright." Iruka laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. He had been so freaked out about what happened that he didn't even think about what he would say to the other man once he finally had a chance to see him.

"Yeah, we're fine." Kakashi said again, not missing the small flicker of relief that crossed the younger man's face. "And I'm sorry about earlier…"

"Why are you sorry? I'm the one that got you upset! Which is how you ended up here in the first place! If I would've just minded my own business like I should've…"

"No…well yeah kind of. But as it turns out I was wrong."

"Really?" Iruka said surprised at the other man's words. When he came into the hospital room he had been expecting the other man to tell him to 'fuck off' and 'mind his own business', he certainly hadn't been expecting this.

"Yeah, I was so sure that I was making the right decision, I was sure I was making the only decision, that I wouldn't listen to reason. But I've had a bit of an epiphany I guess…so if you were still worried about that then you don't have to be."

"I'm glad to hear that. And if there's anything you ever need…" Iruka began, only to be cut off by Kakashi.

"Then what? You're going to come running? I appreciate the sentiment, but you have to be realistic. You have a fiancée to look after and a wedding to plan, you can't honestly think you're going to have time to look after me as well."

"Well I just thought…"

"I know you probably just wanted to do the right thing, but you can't kid yourself Iruka. What would you tell your fiancée every time you would come see me? Would you tell her the truth and pray she understands? Or would you be the guy that lies to her and sneaks around behind her back?"

Iruka stayed silent, letting Kakashi's words sink in. He didn't want to admit it, but he was absolutely right. All he wanted to do was make things right so that he could be a man that his parents would be proud of, and be a man that Tsubaki would deserve. So he set out to make Kakashi change his mind, and not abort the child they had created, but he didn't really think about things beyond that.

But now that Kakashi had changed his mind, what was he suppose to do now? He said to let him know if he needed anything, but what did he mean by that? And he was right, what was he supposed to tell Tsubaki?

"I appreciate the thought, and I apologize for being so rude the last couple of times we've seen each other, but don't worry about it okay? You're off the hook…"

"What?"

"You can just forget about it okay. Forget about what happened that night, forget about the consequences, and just go back to your normal life and don't worry about it, okay?"

"But…"

"Sorry to interrupt," Tsunade said, walking into the room, instantly feeling the tension. She regretted her timing, but she had already left them longer then 5 minutes, and she didn't want Kakashi getting stressed. "Ummm, but Kakashi really should be getting some rest so…"

"Oh, okay, I understand." Iruka said politely to Tsunade, turning back to Kakashi, but not knowing what else to say. He gave him an awkward smile, before turning to leave the room.

Once the door was closed, he leaned up against the wall and sighed. That certainly hadn't gone the way he thought it would. Then again, he had no idea what he had been expecting in the first place. And as for what he was suppose to do now, he had no clue.

"Iruka!" The brunette looked up surprised to see the Hokage calling his name, rushing toward him. "I got a message that something happened to Kakashi? Is he all right? What happened?"

"He's alright now. There was some complication due to stress but Tsunade was able to correct the situation."

"That's good to hear." The blonde man sighed in relief. "So you were the one who brought him in?"

"Yeah, and I'm afraid I was the one that caused his stress as well…" Iruka mumbled, looking away from the other man.

"Don't blame yourself. At least you got him here in time, so that's all that matters." The older man placed his hand on Iruka's shoulder, trying to bring some small comfort to the visibly upset man. He knew how difficult the situation was for Kakashi, but he knew that the situation must have also been very difficult for the Chuunin. But he didn't really know the younger man well enough that he felt he could give him any kind of real advice, so he just had to let him know that he was available if he ever needed to talk.

"Thanks…" Iruka smiled weakly, though the words brought him little comfort.

"So where were you two when this happened anyway? Kakashi's apartment is all the way across town…that must have been difficult carrying him this far."

"No, we were actually at the market…I was there shopping with Tsubaki when…" Iruka instantly froze, his eyes nearly doubling in size. He had been so wrapped up in what happened and the worry he was feeling that the thought hadn't even occurred to him until that moment. "…oh shit! I completely forgot about Tsubaki!"

And he was off before he could say anything else, leaving a confused Minato in his wake. The older man shrugged it off, before entering the room, where he saw something he hadn't seen in years.

Kakashi was lying back in the hospital bed, talking to Tsunade, and he was smiling…he was actually smiling. The sight instantly warmed Minato's heart, causing a smile of his own.

He didn't know what had happened to change the silver-haired man's mind, but he didn't even need to ask what his decision was. And he couldn't be happier for his former student. But now came the hard part…keeping Kakashi and his child safe for the next six and a half months…which he had a feeling was going to be easier said then done.

 **A/N: I'm nearly finished writing this story, and only have a handful of chapters left to write. But I would still love to hear more thoughts on where you guys think I should take this story, just so I can make any changes to it that I see fit, before I start posting more often. After I finish writing it I plan to post 2-3 chapters a week, instead of just one, but would really like to hear any last minute thoughts or ideas before I start doing that. Anyway, I'll stop rambling now. Thanks for reading, and I really hope you enjoyed! I will see you next week.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks everyone who reviewed, I'm always glad to hear when you guys are enjoying this story, and would love to hear any opinions or ideas. I'm kind of struggling with writing the last few chapters, but hopefully I can push through it soon and then I can start posting more often. Enjoy!**

"I still can't believe this! This is so exciting!" The redheaded woman gushed, pulling the silver-haired man into yet another store.

"Don't you think it's a little early to be looking at all these things?" Kakashi asked, looking around at all the small clothing and various other baby items.

It had been another two weeks since he had been released from the hospital, and had decided that he wanted to keep his baby, and to say things had been a little overwhelming would be an understatement.

It had taken him a while to get his mind around the fact that he was actually going to be a father, something he had never thought was going to happen to him…especially not in the way that it was. He never imagined himself as a single parent, and obviously never imagined he would be the one to have the baby. But once he was able to wrap his mind around that fact, he could feel himself actually get a little excited…but apparently not as excited as Kushina seemed to be.

Minato had kept Kakashi's condition a secret during the two week period he thought about whether or not he was going to keep the baby, not wanting Kushina to get upset if the younger man had decided to abort it. But once he had decided he was going to keep it, with Kakashi's permission, he had told his wife everything.

She had of course been shocked at first, which was only natural, but once the information really sunk in, she became ecstatic. She couldn't wait to pass down some of her motherhood knowledge, and had already dropped off a few 'what to expect when you are expecting books' for the younger man…who stopped reading them after the first chapter, being too horrified by some of the information.

"It might be too early to buy some things, especially until we know the gender for sure, but it's still fun to look, don't you think?" Kushina asked with a smile, holding up a tiny outfit that was designed to look like the Konoha shinobi uniform.

"Oh my God," Kakashi gasped, grabbing the small outfit from the red haired woman. "It's so small! And look at the details! There's a forehead protector and everything! Could you actually picture a baby in this?"

"I guess that answers my question," Kushina laughed, grabbing the outfit back and taking it up to the cashier before Kakashi could argue.

After purchasing the mini uniform, the two left the shop, and walked down the snow covered street arm in arm. Winter had hit Konoha in full force last week, something Kakashi was actually happy about. Snow meant cold, and cold meant that he had an excuse to wear big coats and many layers. Even though he knew it would still be a while until he really started showing, he was still paranoid about people being able to tell, so the more layers the better in his opinion. Which reminded him of the fact that his 8th and 9th month would be during fairly warm months and he wouldn't be able to hide under any layers…but he tried not to think about that.

He knew he would have to cross that bridge eventually, and that the entire village was bound to find out. As much as he would like to keep the entire thing a secret, unless he planned to never leave his apartment, it wasn't something that he would be able to hide for long. The thought of some of the villager's reactions caused his stomach to knot up, and made him feel a little sick.

He would no longer be Hatake Kakashi, the copy-nin, one of the most powerful shinobi of the Hidden Leaf…instead he would be that freak that got pregnant. But as scary as some of that was, he tried to remember the sight of the little girl from his dream and reminded himself that it would all be worth it.

"I think there is another baby store in the village, but it's across town."

"I don't think I have the energy for that right now." Kakashi sighed, feeling like he could go home and sleep for hours, even though it was only noon and he had only woken up a couple hours earlier. He was told it was normal that he would start to feel more fatigued then usual, but he had no idea it would be this bad already. He couldn't imagine how he would be feeling in a few months time.

"That's understandable, want to grab something to eat instead?" Kushina asked, almost laughing at how the younger man's face lit up.

"Now that I definitely have energy for." Kakashi quickly agreed.

The two headed for a small café, placing their orders before taking a seat. It was a small, quaint café, which gave off a really welcoming vibe, not to mention had the best pastries in town, the thought of which made Kakashi's mouth water.

"So how have you been feeling lately?" Kushina asked, after their food arrived, pouring a little bit of cream and sugar into her coffee.

"Alright I guess. I mean I'm a lot more tired then I normally would be on a daily basis, but nothing else yet really. And the morning sickness has actually subsided lately, which is definitely nice."

"That's good to hear, although I hate to be the barrier of bad news when I say the worst is yet to come." Kushina warned jokingly, although they both knew she was being completely serious.

"Yeah, don't remind me." Kakashi shuddered at the thought, remembering the book Kushina had given him. He preferred not to think about all the negative things that were lying ahead, and wanted to try and focus on the positive things. He figured too much of his life was already spent in a negative place, and that for the sake of his future child he really wanted to change that.

"So have you thought about living arrangements?" Kushina asked, taking a bite out of her cherry cheesecake.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked confused, looking around the café quickly to make sure that nobody was looking, before quickly slipping his mask down to take a bite out of his cinnamon roll, before quickly slipping it back on.

"Well, are you really going to raise a baby in such a small one-bedroom apartment?"

"I never really thought about that I guess…" Kakashi trailed off, thinking over what she said, the thought honestly never occurring to him. "You're probably right though. There is always the Hatake compound at the edge of the village. I technically still own it even if I haven't lived in it since my father died…" Kakashi trailed off, trying to push any negative thoughts about his father out of his mind.

His father had been a great man, and an even better shinobi…but he wasn't able to get past his deep grief for the loss of his wife, and as a result completely broke down. And because of his drinking, and how he died, he was seen as a disgrace to the village, and not like the hero that he had once been.

Kakashi had always been bitter to his father for that, for disgracing the Hatake name, and bringing shame to the village. And not only that, but because of his mistakes people always looked at him with such pity, and he would hear hushed whispers like, 'poor thing', 'that's _his_ son', 'wonder if he'll end up anything like his father'. Which he hated to admit, in a lot of ways he did end up exactly like his father…he got lost in his grief for years, and still struggled with dealing with it, even now. He drowned a lot of his feelings in alcohol, although he never drank before a mission, but still…he was sure if things had continued to go in the direction that they had been, that he would've found himself dead sooner rather than later.

The thought caused him to sigh, putting down his pastry, all of a sudden losing his appetite. The Hatake compound was large and would probably be the perfect place to raise a child, but he didn't know yet if he could get passed all of the ghosts from his past that still lived there. "I'll have to think about it."

"Of course," Kushina smiled sadly, not wanting to dwell on the subject. She knew certain things about Kakashi's past were sore subjects, and she didn't want to bring down the younger man's mood, although it seems it might have been a little too late for that.

Before she could think of anything else to say, she saw the silver-haired man stiffen when two new people walked into the café. She curiously looked over at the two, not recognizing either of them. The man appeared to be a Chuunin, going by his uniform, with brown hair and tanned skin. He had a distinctive scar across his nose that she faintly recognized, probably from seeing him around the village before. And the woman wasn't wearing a uniform; she was fairly slender, with long black hair.

She had no idea who they were, but if Kakashi's reaction was anything to go by, he obviously knew them.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else?" Kushina could hear the man say once he looked over and spotted the two of them sitting there.

"What do you mean? We walked all the way across town because this place has the best pastries, and it's not even that busy, why on earth would we go somewhere else?" The woman questioned back, obviously confused by the suggestion.

Kushina turned back towards her companion, to see the uneasy look in his eye. She didn't know what the history was between them, but could sense a thick tension building up.

She was about to suggest they leave, when the uneasy look in the Jounin's eye turned to one of panic.

"Shit," Kakashi mumbled when a nauseous feeling overwhelmed him. He cursed the timing as he got up and made a mad dash to the back of the room to where the washrooms were.

Kushina looked after him in concern, turning back towards the two mystery people, to see that the man was also staring after Kakashi in concern, whereas the woman didn't even seem to notice. She got even more curious about the identity of the Chuunin when she saw him excuse himself and head back in the direction of the washrooms.

…

Kakashi groaned as he leaned over the toilet, the pastry he had just eaten coming back up. He dry heaved a few more times, before the nauseous feeling slowly began to subside.

He was embarrassed about the timing of this little episode, and prayed that Iruka hadn't noticed it. It had been two weeks since he had seen the Chuunin, the last time being at the hospital when he had told him not to worry about him and that he was off the hook. He had been relieved when the younger man seemed to take his advice, or at least he thought he had been.

He knew that he would likely run into Iruka again either around town or in the mission room, but seeing him again so soon brought on an unknown feeling that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Kakashi stood up, doing his best to shake off the feeling, before exiting the stall. He only took a couple steps before he froze, spotting Iruka on the other side of the room. He hadn't noticed his presence, and wondered when exactly it was that he came in.

His basic ninja skills seemed to be slipping a bit lately; Tsunade telling him it was because of the fact that so much of his chakra was being used to support his baby's growth. And as the baby grew, so would the amount of chakra necessary to sustain it. Meaning more and more of his ninja abilities would begin to fade.

Losing all his basic ninja senses and abilities scared him more then he would ever admit. And the idea of being so weak and helpless was terrifying. But he tried to remind himself that as long as he was in his own village he should be fine…not to mention he would have Minato, Kushina, and Tsunade watching over him like a hawk.

"I saw you rush towards the washroom and thought I'd check up on you…" Iruka said, breaking the silence that had built up between them. "Are you okay?"

Iruka's words broke Kakashi out of his trance, and he quickly put his mask back up, feeling very exposed all of a sudden, although he knew it wasn't the first time the other man had seen his face. He could sense the concern in the other man's words, which caused an unknown feeling to surge through him, but he quickly shook it off.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little nausea…nothing new." Kakashi shrugged, heading over to the sinks to wash his hands.

"So that happens often then?" Iruka asked curiously.

"Yeah, kind of. But it's a normal symptom of, you know…" he trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud when they were in a public place like that, where they could be potentially overheard.

"I see, I'm sorry you have to go through that." Iruka apologized, feeling a wave of guilt come on.

The last two weeks since he had seen the older man had been hard to say the least. He was still so confused about everything and had no idea what he should do.

Kakashi had told him that he was off the hook, and that he could just forget about it and go back to his normal life. Most men in his situation would have probably been thrilled to hear that, but it didn't quite sit right with him and he couldn't shake off the feeling.

He tried to remind himself over and over again that it had just been a one-night stand, and that it meant nothing, and that Kakashi himself even told him to forget about it, so he should just try and move on.

But every day since then, he couldn't help but think of the Jounin at some point or another and wonder how he was doing. Was he all right? Was the baby all right? And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't just forget about it.

Especially not now seeing how pale and tired Kakashi really looked, feeling completely responsible for his current state, and wishing there was some way he could help the other man through this.

He may have wished he could move past this, and knew there was no way he was ready to become a father, but he needed to do something. He couldn't just ignore the situation anymore and pretend everything was okay.

"It kind of sucks, but it's not really that bad. I've survived worse." Kakashi chuckled, hoping to ease some of the tension.

The two of them stood there silently for a few more moments, before Kakashi decided to make his leave. He turned towards the door only to be stopped in his tracks when the younger man grabbed his wrist.

"Wait," Iruka breathed out, tightening his hold when the other man tried to pull his arm away. "Kakashi, I-I can't do this."

"What are you talking about?" The older man asked confused, seeing how visibly upset the other man was getting.

"I can't just walk away and forget about this like you told me to."

"Iruka…"

"I know what you're going to say. That I'm not thinking about the consequences or whatever, but what if I don't care!"

Kakashi sighed, pulling his hand away as the younger man loosened his grip. He didn't know what to say to him, or how he should feel at his words.

Sure he had been a little worried about raising the child alone, but he knew he would always have Minato and Kushina, so he wasn't too concerned. But what was he supposed to do if Iruka wanted to be in the child's life? Not only would that ruin the younger man's chance at a normal life, but it would also make his job of explaining things to his child when it was old enough that much harder.

He was planning on telling the child that it's mother had left them, and that he was the father…how would he explain the fact that it had two dads and that he was the one that gave birth to it?

But as awkward as that conversation might be, he couldn't exactly justify keeping the child away from Iruka for that reason. If he truly wanted to be in it's life then he knew he didn't really have the right to stop him.

"You're saying this now, but what happens when people start finding out? Sure I'm going to try and keep this quiet for as long as I can, but it's bound to get out sooner or later, I don't exactly plan to stay locked up for the next 6 months. So what are you going to do when people start talking? A lot of people are going to think pretty poorly of me, and if you decide to take on the role of the father they are going to think poorly of you as well…will you be able to handle the disgusted looks and hushed whispers? And what about your fiancée? You won't be able to keep this from her forever. Will you be able to live with the consequences of her finding out you cheated on her with another man?"

"I know all that…I know this won't be easy…and I even know that this could mean the end of my engagement. But like I said, I can't just walk away from this. I'm sick of worrying everyday whether or not you and the baby are all right, and having no way of knowing. I hate being on the outside of all this. I want you to be able to come to me if you need anything, to be able to rely on me…" Iruka sighed, frustrated. He felt like he wasn't getting his thoughts across properly, and that he was just sounding like a fool.

"Listen Kakashi…I don't know what's going to happen, and I don't know how I'm going to deal with things exactly when the time comes, but I do know that I want to try." Iruka finished, fidgeting nervously as he waited for the other man to respond.

Kakashi stilled at the other man's words, as the meaning behind them began to sink in. It seemed that Iruka really did want to be there for him, to be in this child's life…the unknown feeling he had felt earlier when he first saw Iruka began to erupt again. Although he still couldn't quite put his finger on it. Had it been an unconscious desire to not have to do this alone?

Kakashi sighed, crossing his arm's over his chest, and looked straight into the other man's eyes. "Alright."

"Alright?" Iruka asked, confused by the short blunt answer.

"Alright…we can do a trial run."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…even though you are saying this now, I'm still not completely convinced you will be able to fully commit to this, especially when you start to see the repercussions. So we will do a trial before you go telling your fiancée and possibly ruining your life."

"Kakashi…" Iruka tried to protest, but stopped when the older man held up a hand to silence him.

"I'm giving you a chance to be involved…but still having a second chance to walk away from this, so please don't argue. You can be as involved as you want to be, up until I start to show, and the secret starts to get out. And then you can make a final decision."

Kakashi finished his proposal, staying silent for the other man to think everything over. A part of Kakashi hoped that the younger man would change his mind and walk away now before he got too use to the idea of not having to do this alone…it would certainly be easier if he walked away now, rather then later, but he would keep that thought to himself and leave the decision to Iruka.

"I promise you won't regret this." Iruka said, not able to keep a small smile from appearing on his face.

Kakashi just nodded, trying to accept the other man's choice, but couldn't help an uneasy feeling from coming over him. He just hoped that he wouldn't regret this.

"Well you know where I live…I guess I'll be seeing you later." Kakashi finally said, breaking the silence, he began to leave, before turning back around to the other man. "Oh, and Iruka…I hope it goes without saying that this whole thing is to be kept an absolute secret from everyone."

"Of course." Iruka quickly agreed, not knowing who he would tell even if he wanted to.

The younger man watched as the Jounin left the washroom and sighed. He didn't know how he was going to be able to juggle all the extra work, spending time with Tsubaki, and trying to be there for Kakashi, but he knew that he had to try.

His life was about to get a lot more complicated, but for some reason he didn't seem to mind.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Here's this weeks chapter! A special thank you to VampireDoll666 and tineyninja for being the only two who don't lurk on a weekly basis, haha. But I appreciate the rest of you anyway.**

 **So I decided to make a few major changes to this story, because I basically had 25 chapters written, and realized that I really didn't like where I took the story. I wrote them all far too fast and didn't put much thought into plot or character development, so even though I was almost finished the entire thing, I just found I was left with a very unsatisfying story. That being said I was able to salvage most of this chapter so I don't mind posting it, but it might take me a little longer than usual to get the next chapter up while I'm reworking the story plot. So if you have any last minute suggestions now is the time to voice them. But anyway I hope you will all be patient with me, and I promise to try and not take too long to post more.**

"Mmmm, what are you making? It smells delicious!" Tsubaki commented as she entered the kitchen, allowing the aroma to wash over her. She caught sight of her fiancée standing in front of the oven, wearing her apron, and she had to suppress a laugh. She had never seen Iruka do anything like this before, he barely knew how to boil water to add to instant ramen, let alone bake, so to see him there, covered in flour and various other ingredients was truly an amusing sight.

"I'm making some cookies, from an old recipe handed down from my mother. I've never tried to make them before though…I'm worried they won't turn out." Iruka said, unsure of himself, as he pulled the tray of cookies out of the oven. He examined them, and was relieved that at least they didn't end up burnt like the last two batches.

"Well if they taste half as good as the smell, they're probably amazing. I can't wait to try them, what's the special occasion?" Tsubaki asked, making her way further into the kitchen, to place a quick kiss on her fiancée's cheek, before taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"Well you can definitely try a couple…but I was actually making these for…a friend." Iruka said, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"Oh? For who? And why?" Tsubaki asked curiously, not realizing she was putting her fiancée on the spot.

"Ummm, oh. One of my new colleagues from the mission room has been under the weather lately, so I thought these might make them feel better…" Iruka said. He knew that Tsubaki knew all of his fellow teachers at the academy, so if he were to mention one of them, she just might drop by and visit them herself. He just hoped that since she didn't know anyone from the mission room that she wouldn't ask too many questions.

"Aww, that's too bad. Well tell them I hope they feel better soon." Tsubaki said, getting up from her spot, to wrap her arms around the brunette man. "And you will have to make more of these another time for just the two of us." She purred into his ear, placing a few gentle kisses along his neck.

Iruka briefly tensed up at the contact, feeling guilty for the lie he just told her. Here he was, making cookies for the man he had gotten pregnant, and his future wife was there, being so gentle, so kind, and so understanding.

He couldn't help but think he was the worse kind of scum, and was close to pushing her away because he believed he didn't deserve her affections. But he knew that would likely just cause her pain, and he couldn't bare to see her hurt or confused, so he turned around and placed a gently kiss on her soft lips.

She moaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck, before she deepened it. Iruka complied, wrapping his arms around her waist, before parting his lips, and allowing her tongue to fight against his.

The moment was very sweet, and passionate, but when Iruka closed his eyes, an image of Kakashi flashed into his mind, and he couldn't stop from jerking himself away, abruptly ending the kiss.

He mentally cursed himself, and couldn't understand what the hell was wrong with him. This wasn't the first time this had happened, and it seemed to be a problem that was getting more and more frequent. It had gotten even worse since he had found out about the pregnancy, so he reasoned with himself that he was just worried about Kakashi and the baby, and that's why the Jounin constantly popped into his mind.

"Is everything alright?" Tsubaki asked concerned, looking at her fiancée's worried face.

"Umm yeah…I'm just worried about my friend." Iruka sighed, stepping away from the woman, to get back to what he was doing.

"Oh, of course. I understand." Tsubaki said, smiling kindly, stepping away from him as well. Although she kept a positive look painted on her face, she couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. She had felt for a while there was something wrong with her fiancée, but still didn't have any clue what it could be. He seemed to be getting more and more distant from her lately, and she was desperate to figure out what was wrong. Because no matter what it was, she was determined to fix it before it was too late.

…

The brunette went to knock on the door, but quickly snatched his hand back. What was he doing? Maybe he should have sent a message ahead to inform the other man he was coming? What if he was sleeping, and his knock woke him up? Would he be pissed and then not want to see him at all?

It had been a couple of days since Iruka and Kakashi had had their talk at the café, and today was the first day that the younger man finally had a bit of free time that he could come and check in on him. He had felt wrong showing up empty handed, but now he looked down nervously at the plate of cookies in his hands, and cursed himself mentally. Was this a little over the top? What if he didn't even like them?

Iruka began going over the hundreds of things that could go wrong if he were to knock on the door, when the choice was taken away from him, and the door swung open.

Kakashi stepped out, not looking where he was going, practically running into the younger man.

"Sorry about that, I didn't see you there." Kakashi chuckled, trying to hide his surprise, again hating his fading ninja senses. You knew it was getting bad when you couldn't even sense someone's presence until you were practically running into them. He couldn't imagine how civilians lived like this on a daily basis.

"No I'm sorry, I shouldn't have showed up out of nowhere like this…" Iruka apologized.

"No, don't worry about it…I told you to come over as much as you'd like right?" Kakashi reasoned, he tried to keep eye contact with the younger man, but couldn't help but get distracted by an amazing scent coming from the plate in Iruka's hands. His stomach began to growl at the smell, and he just hoped that he wasn't drooling. "Are those cookies for me?"

"Ummm…no…I…" Iruka began nervously, all of a sudden feeling very stupid for the gesture.

"No? Too bad, they smell amazing." Kakashi said, not able to keep the disappointment from his voice.

"I mean, yeah, they're for you! It was an old family recipe I thought I'd try out." Iruka quickly said once he saw how disappointed the other man had looked. He was relieved when he saw his face light back up again, and quickly handed the plate over.

Kakashi wasted no time in uncovering the wrapping over the plate, and inhaled the delicious aroma, practically moaning at the smell. He hadn't been hungry moments ago, having just eaten, but upon smelling the cookies, he couldn't help but feel starved all of a sudden.

He probably would have tore into the cookies right then in there, but he stopped himself when he remembered where he had been going.

"Oh yeah, I nearly forgot, I was actually on my way to an appointment with Tsunade." Kakashi told the other man, reluctantly covering the cookies back up.

"Is everything alright?"

"Oh yeah, everything is fine," Kakashi assured him after seeing the small flash of worry in his eyes, "it's just a routine check up. She's got me going to one practically every week…since there's still so much unknown about this whole male pregnancy thing, she doesn't want to take any chances."

"Well that's good to hear." Iruka said, visibly relieved when he knew there wasn't anything wrong. "I guess I'll come back another time then…"

Iruka was a little disappointed, hoping he could visit Kakashi for a bit, and maybe help him out with anything he might need done around his apartment, but didn't want to complain. Kakashi was giving him this opportunity to get involved, and he didn't want to ruin it by coming off too needy.

Kakashi saw the disappointment clearly on the younger man's face, as he turned around and began walking away. He felt a little guilty at the sight, and before he could over think it too much, he reached out and grabbed the other man's arm.

"Wait," he said, feeling the other man tense up slightly at his touch. He let his arm go, as Iruka turned back around. "Why don't you come to the appointment with me?"

"Really?" Iruka asked, not expecting the other man to invite him along. He knew that Kakashi was letting him be involved on a trial basis, but didn't think that he would want him to come along for something so…personal.

"Yeah, I mean, it's your kid too after all, so as long as we are doing this trial thing, I don't see the problem with you being involved with things like this. That is, if you want to…"

"Sure, I mean, if you don't mind me tagging along." Iruka said, trying to hide the excitement in his voice.

"Sure," Kakashi agreed, quickly opening his door back up so he could put the cookies inside. "But we better hurry. I'm already late and Tsunade is going to be pissed…"

Both men exchanged a look and shuddered, knowing what the blonde medical-nin was capable of.

"We better hurry then." Iruka piped up, turning to leave.

"Just one second," Kakashi said, turning back around to quickly unlock his door again. He leaned into the apartment, and when he came back out again he had one of the cookies in his hand, "alright, now I'm ready to go."

…

"About time brat!" Tsunade said in mock anger, when she finally saw the silver-haired Jounin enter the exam room. She was about to tease him further, when she saw the brunette man enter behind him. She tried to keep the surprised look off her face, but knew she probably failed miserably. "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you were bringing a guest along."

"Otherwise you probably would've been polite and greeted me like a proper patient right?" Kakashi joked, receiving a glare in response from the blonde woman.

"It's nice to see you again Lady Tsunade." Iruka greeted, giving the woman a slight bow, wanting to do everything he could to stay on her good side.

"See brat, if you greeted me with respect like that, and were to actually show up on time, then I'd probably be polite back," the woman said, turning her attention back to the silver-haired man, who just rolled his one visible eye.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll keep that in mind. Now let's get this over with." Kakashi said, shrugging off his coat, and jumping up on the exam table. These appointments had become routine to him, having to have one every week, and he never looked forward to them, so he wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

Iruka stood somewhat awkwardly to the side, as he watched Kakashi go through the various tests, and answered what seemed to be a never-ending string of questions. Iruka could see the embarrassment radiating off the other man when it came to answering specific question, such as how frequently he urinated, so Iruka did his best to pretend he wasn't listening, which Kakashi appreciated even if they both knew that he could still hear every word being said.

As the questions began winding down, Iruka developed a new found respect for the older man. He had been so naïve when it came to the whole pregnancy thing, and just assumed that aside from morning sickness and gaining a little weight, that there really wasn't much too caring a child…but oh how he was wrong. But upon hearing all that, it just cemented into Iruka's mind, how much more he wanted to try and be there for the older man. Because if Kakashi was already going through all of _that_ and there was only more to come, then he would need all the help he could get.

"Alright brat, I know you hate this part, but it can't be helped." Tsunade said, pulling a needle from a near by drawer.

Iruka was surprised to see Kakashi stiffen up at the sight. The silver-haired man was somewhat of a legend around the village, the entire ninja world for that matter, so Iruka found it very strange that such a strong person would be afraid of something so small.

"Why do you need my blood anyway? You take some every week, does it ever really change?" Kakashi asked, delaying what he knew to be inevitable, but he couldn't help it.

He knew the whole thing was irrational, and when it came down to it, it didn't even hurt that bad. Especially considering he had been pierced with countless kunai and shuriken over the years…so it made no sense that something as insignificant as a needle would ever bother him, but he couldn't help it. It was something that had bothered him ever since he was a kid.

He had graduated from the ninja academy at the age of 5, which was years earlier then any student was ever meant to, and he was immediately enlisted into active duty. And the first thing that he had to do was get a complete physical. Tsunade wasn't working at the time, and the one doing the physicals was a large, very intimidating shinobi, who was very rough, and seemingly uncaring. The whole experience had scared the 5-year-old Kakashi, who had been terrified of needles ever since that day.

Iruka took a few steps across the room, so that he was now standing next to the exam table. He didn't want to be too forward, and make things awkward with the other man, but he also didn't like seeing him freaked out like he was. And he reasoned that the whole point of this 'trial' was that he could be there to help Kakashi out, so he took a deep breath, swallowed his nerves, and reached one of his hands out towards the other man.

Kakashi looked down at it like he was insane, and instantly felt mortified that the brunette actually saw him as frightened and in need of comfort. When Kakashi didn't reach out to accept the hand, Iruka mentally cursed himself for even considering the gesture. The Jounin probably thought he was a complete idiot…

But before he could pull his hand away, Kakashi caught sight of the needle Tsunade was about to stick in his arm, and grabbed Iruka's hand without even thinking about it.

Iruka sighed in relief when he did so, thankful that he didn't end up looking like an idiot, but quickly regretted it when Kakashi gave it a harsh squeeze. He winced in pain, but tried his best to remain as composed as possible. That tight grasp lasted about 30 seconds, until Tsunade finally pulled the needled out, allowing Kakashi to let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, as well as the younger man's hand.

As embarrassed as he was by the entire situation, Kakashi couldn't help but feel slightly comforted by the other man's presence. Being able to squeeze someone's hand had definitely calmed his nerves, making the whole thing bearable. He decided he was glad the Chuunin came along, and silently hoped that he might be there for future appointments as well…not that he would ever say that out loud…as nice as it might have been to have someone there with him, he quickly reminded himself not to get too use to it. This was only a trial run after all…there was still a good chance in a couple of weeks time that Iruka could decide that he didn't want anything to do with him.

"Am I free to go now?" Kakashi asked, rolling his sleeve back down, after Tsunade applied a small bandage to where the needle had been.

"Not quite. I actually planned to do an ultrasound today." Tsunade said, smiling at the look that crossed the silver-haired man's face. He obviously hadn't been expecting that.

Tsunade hadn't actually done an ultrasound since she was originally examining Kakashi, just over a month ago, to confirm his pregnancy. The younger man had been unconscious at the time, and never actually got the chance to see the child growing inside of him, something the medical ninja thought was long over due.

"Really?" Kakashi asked, for some reason becoming very nervous at the idea. He knew this was something that would be done eventually, and probably several times throughout this process, but he was still nervous nonetheless.

"Yup, now lie back in lift your shirt up," Tsunade instructed, rolling over the machine she would be using, ignoring the embarrassed look on Kakashi's face. She figured he would probably be embarrassed to do that, especially in front of Iruka, but she reasoned that Iruka had _obviously_ seen him in a more intimate way at some point, so Kakashi could just get over it.

The silver-haired man laid back reluctantly, and did as he was instructed, doing everything he could to avoid looking at the other man in the room. It wasn't like he had gained any sort of real weight yet, other than maybe looking a tiny bit bloated, so he wasn't exactly self conscious…but still. This was a very personal experience, and Kakashi wasn't use to people being around like this, and seeing behind his wall. He almost felt vulnerable in that moment, weak, and that was a feeling he had tried so hard, for so long to avoid.

He winced when Tsunade rubbed the cold gel on his abdomen, not loving the feeling, mentally adding this to the list of things he wasn't going to look forward to when it came to these appointments.

But all that was quickly forgotten when the machine was turned on, and the wand was placed on his stomach, a faint heartbeat could be heard echoing throughout the room.

"Is that?" Iruka asked first, in absolute amazement.

"Yup. That's your baby's heartbeat." Tsunade answered, smiling at the look of surprise and wonderment lighting up both men's faces.

But the indescribable feeling that overcame both men at the sound was nothing compared to what came next.

"And here," Tsunade said, once she finally found the right spot, "is the baby."

Both men stared at the monitor, completely frozen in their shock. The entire situation had all of a sudden become completely real in both men's minds.

Sure Kakashi had felt the symptoms of the pregnancy, the nausea, the fatigue, the cravings, but until this moment, all it had been was 'symptoms'. This was the first time seeing tangible proof that Tsunade wasn't crazy, and there really was a baby inside of him.

And as overwhelming as it was for Kakashi, the reality seemed to hit Iruka even harder, him nearly forgetting how to breathe as he looked at the monitor. There had been a very small part of him that had remained convinced that this couldn't possibly be real. Men couldn't possibly get pregnant, despite the long explanation he had received from Tsunade, and there was no way that he could have gotten one pregnant. A part of him had remained slightly hopeful that the whole thing was a mistake, and that he could still go back to his normal life.

But that small amount of denial still left in his mind was completely gone now, the proof right in front of him. And he didn't even know how to feel as a wave of emotion crashed down on him. He felt like his heart was beating in his throat, and he had to remind himself to breathe.

"As you can see, the child is not much bigger than a peanut at this point, but it won't be long before it starts growing at a steady rate." Tsunade said, breaking the awe filled silence that had been hanging in the room.

"Wow," was all Iruka could muster up the ability to say, Kakashi not even able to say that much.

But actually seeing his child for the first time, stirred up a huge amount of emotions, and because of the heightened hormones coursing through his body, he found himself slowly losing control. He tried his hardest to fight back the tears he could feel stinging his eyes, but it was a losing battle, and he couldn't stop the few that escaped. He tried to wipe them away before anyone could see, but it was at that moment that Iruka had dared to look the other man's way.

He saw the tears shining in the other man's eyes, and could understand exactly what he was feeling in that moment.

It may not have been something that either man planned on, and in fact it wasn't even something that should have been possible. But there it was, the small life that they created together.

And when Iruka reached out his hand this time, Kakashi didn't hesitate before taking it. Him needing that comfort now more then he ever had. They both gave a tight squeeze, almost as if to prove to themselves that this wasn't a dream.

Tsunade stayed silent, letting the two of them savor this moment for as long as they could. She couldn't keep a smile off her face at the sight. Both of their lives changed in that moment, and this was only the beginning.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Special thanks to VampireDoll666, tineyninja, and the guest reviewer. You guys are the best!**

 **I've been going through each of the chapters I've written one by one, deciding what can be salvaged and what needs to be rewritten. Luckily this chapter seemed like it could still work with the new direction I'm taking the story, so you guys didn't have to wait for it XD Although next weeks chapter might be different. But I shall try my best to get it up quickly anyway!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!**

…

"I think Naruto would like this." Kakashi said, holding up a red stuffed fox. He wasn't sure why, but the five-year old seemed to have a thing for foxes. His entire room was covered in fox related merchandise. Kakashi was one of the few people in the village that knew of the nine-tailed fox residing in Kushina, and wondered if that had somehow influenced the little boy's tastes.

"Yeah it's cute. And I did see him wearing a fox shirt the other day, so I'm sure he would love it." Iruka agreed, remembering meeting the Hokage's son the other day for the first time. Minato had brought him into the mission room, Naruto wanting to see the different places his father worked. Iruka had been on break at the time, and had gotten the chance to talk with them for a bit.

It had been a huge relief to him that the Hokage hadn't seemed to hold any animosity toward him, and that he didn't judge him for anything. He was sure if the roles were reversed and Iruka learned that Minato cheated on his wife and got one of his friends pregnant, that he wouldn't be able to look past it like the Hokage seemed to have. Just another reason why he knew Minato was a great man, and a great leader.

The two walked in a comfortable silence after Kakashi purchased the stuffed animal, adding that bag to the growing number of bags Iruka was now carrying for him. He had insisted that he was fine to carry them himself, but Iruka wouldn't hear of it. After all the whole reason he had insisted on tagging along with Kakashi while he did his Christmas shopping was to make sure that the older man didn't over do it.

It had been just over a week since the appointment the two of them had attended together, and things had been a little awkward at first. They had shared a very emotional, intimate moment during the sonogram, and neither man knew what to say about it. So instead of confronting it, they both just avoided seeing each other for a couple of days, until the strange feelings it had stirred up subsided.

And things had quickly gotten back to normal, especially after Iruka had brought over even more cookies…they were quickly becoming one of Kakashi's favorite things to eat, and the baby seemed to agree with him, because he constantly found himself craving them.

"So, is there anybody else you have to buy anything for?" Iruka asked, breaking the silence that was still stretching between them.

"Let me see…" Kakashi said, thinking over his list in his mind. He had already gotten something for Kushina, Minato, Tsunade, and now Naruto… he had even gotten a little something for Guy, Asuma, and Kurenai.

He had never thought of himself as that close with anybody, and wasn't even sure if any of his fellow Jounin even considered him a friend…which of course he didn't really blame them for, he never gave anybody much of a reason to like him. But ever since he had had his change of heart about keeping the baby, he had made a decision to stop living such an introverted life, and constantly pushing people away. After all, he figured his child would probably have a hard of enough time, being born to a man, he didn't want to make it's life any harder by being the asshole that nobody liked. So he had thought over whom he considered himself the closest too, other than Minato, Kushina, and Tsunade, and it was Guy, Asuma, and Kurenai that had come to mind. He just hoped they didn't completely laugh in his face at his gesture…

"I think I got something for everybody that I need to." Kakashi confirmed after thinking it over for a few more seconds.

"Okay great," Iruka said, relieved because all the bags had actually been getting a little bit heavy. "Do you want to grab some lunch or something?"

"Are you kidding me?" Kakashi laughed, "your kid might not be that big yet, but it's already a bottomless pit. I'm starved!"

Iruka just nodded, his heart skipping a beat when Kakashi referred to it as _his_ child. It might have already been a couple of weeks since deciding on this trial, but this was the first real time he had ever heard Kakashi really acknowledge the fact that this was his kid too. In the few conversations that they had had about the baby, Kakashi always used words like 'mine' or 'my'; it was never 'ours' or 'yours'.

Kakashi didn't miss the look on Iruka's face when he had used the words 'your kid' and hoped he didn't freak the other man out by saying that. The truth was he had been purposely avoiding using terms like that trying his best to maintain a distance between Iruka and their child.

Even though he had made a decision to try and let more people into his life, he was still scared when it came to Iruka.

He had completely forgiven him when it came to their night together, and knew the Chuunin was a good man. That was more then evident considering all that he had been doing for him since they had begun this trial run, but he couldn't shake the doubts in the back of his mind.

When it came down to it, Iruka was still engaged to be married, and in Kakashi's mind that meant he could never be truly committed to being in their child's life. It wasn't like he expected Iruka to dump his fiancée and come play house with him, he just couldn't honestly see it working. Even if Tsubaki was some how able to accept what happened and was alright with it, would it be fair to her every time Iruka wanted to leave her to go spend time with his child?

Or what if she wanted to be involved in the child's life too? What if she wanted to become like a mother to it? What if she expected the child to spend half of its time living with her and Iruka? What if she wanted to take his child away completely because she didn't want Iruka to spend any more time with the man he had cheated on her with?

He knew he was over reacting, and jumping to crazy conclusions, but the thought hadn't occurred to him until now. He had been so convinced that if Iruka's fiancée ever found out, then she was sure to dump him…he never considered the fact that she might forgive him and want the child in both of their lives, which meant it would be away from him for periods of time.

That thought made Kakashi feel a little dizzy, something that didn't go unnoticed by the younger man.

"Kakashi, are you feeling alright?" Iruka asked with concern. He had seen the Jounin freeze dead in his tracks all of a sudden, and then a few seconds later he seemed to get a little bit wobbly. He put all the bags down on a near by bench, before carefully leading Kakashi over, forcing him to take a seat.

He began to panic, hoping there was nothing wrong with him or the baby, when the older man suddenly turned to him, fear shining in his one exposed eye.

"What's wrong? You're not in pain are you?"

"No…" he choked out, only partially lying. He wasn't in any physical pain, but the thoughts now flooding his mind were painful in another way.

This was _his_ chance to start over. This was _his_ chance to have a real family. And this was _his_ and Iruka's baby. The idea of Tsubaki marrying Iruka and wanting to be in his child's life made him sick.

"Promise me something…" Kakashi breathed out, doing everything in his power to keep his voice even.

Iruka was a little surprised by the older man's change of mood, and the intensity at which he was now staring at him. He wasn't sure what was going on in the other man's head, but nodded for him to continue.

"Promise me that nobody will ever try and take this child away from me." Kakashi said after a few tense moments of silence had passed between them.

Iruka could've almost laughed at that, if it wasn't for the seriousness in his words, and the panic filled sadness shinning in his eye.

"Of course not. Why would you even say such a thing? Who would ever try and take this child away from you?" Iruka asked gently, wanting to do his best not to upset the other man anymore then he obviously already was.

He had no idea where that thought would have even come from, but if Kakashi was worried or stressed out at all, he had to do everything he could to calm him down, him getting upset wasn't good for the baby.

Iruka's words seemed to calm his nerves a little bit, but he couldn't shake the feeling from the back of his mind now that it was there.

He began to open his mouth to say something, when he quickly snapped it shut, a chill racing down his spin when he heard the voice of the very person that was causing all these doubts in his mind in the first place.

"Iruka, sweetheart, what are you doing here?" Tsubaki asked, walking up to the bench where she saw her fiancée sitting next to Kakashi Hatake…which caused her to be a little bit confused. She didn't know that Iruka knew the famous ninja…other then from that weird encounter at the hospital about a month ago, where he had been called an asshole…which only made seeing the two of them together that much stranger. Not to mention Iruka had told her that he was going out for a couple of drinks with the guys from the mission room…did Kakashi work at the mission room?

"I was, umm, you see I was just…" Iruka began to stumble over his words, at a complete loss of what to say. It wasn't like he was doing anything specifically wrong at the moment, except for the fact that he had lied to her in order to go spend time with the man carrying his love child…okay maybe it was a little wrong.

"He ran into me on the street while I was out shopping and saw that I was struggling with some of my bags. I've been a little under the weather lately and I guess I was over doing it a bit. Iruka was just nice enough to help me out when he saw what was going on." Kakashi answered smoothly. As a Jounin he was trained to always be able to think on his feet, so when it came to situations like this he never missed a beat. Although at the moment he was still internally panicking from the thoughts he had been having earlier. He was just glad that most of his face was covered, so it wouldn't betray how he was really feeling in that moment.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I'm glad Iruka was here to help." The woman answered kindly, instantly feeling bad about suspecting Iruka about lying to her. He was probably on his way home and just stopped to help a fellow shinobi. And judging from the small amount of skin she could see from the Jounin, he really must have been under the weather; he looked absolutely pale and clammy.

"Me too." Kakashi replied, before quickly grabbing his bags and getting to his feet. He still felt a little unstable from before, but he ignored it for now, wanting more than anything to get out of there. "Well, I'm feeling a lot better now, I better get going."

"Kakashi, wait," Iruka began, but was ignored by the older man, who simply walked away.

Iruka was instantly worried about the state Kakashi was in. Not only shouldn't he be carrying all those bags, but also it was obvious that something wasn't right with him. He had been wobbly earlier, then there was that strange promise he had made Iruka give him, and he had looked completely pale. Every fiber of his being told him to go after the other man, to grab those bags from him, and help him home.

But before he could go after him, he felt a small delicate hand grab his wrist, causing him to stop in his tracks and turn around. Tsubaki was looking at him, confusion, and concern, evident on her face. Which he didn't blame her for; he knew she had every right to be both confused and concerned given his behavior lately.

"I'm sure he'll be alright." She said gently, lacing her fingers with his. "Why don't we go home and relax a bit? I can make some hot chocolate and we can maybe finish decorating our tree…"

There was so much hope in her voice, that Iruka didn't have the heart to come up with some lie and let her down. She really didn't deserve that, and he knew it. So he suppressed every part of him that was telling him to go after the silver-haired man, and just prayed that Tsubaki was right, and that the Jounin would be fine.

Meanwhile a few blocks away Kakashi had made it to his apartment in record time. Throwing his door open, and dropping all his bags at the front entrance, before he practically sprinted to the washroom. He knelt in front of the toilet and then did what he had been doing best these past few months, emptying the contents of his stomach into the bowl…which actually wasn't much, seeing they had been about to go to lunch, and he hadn't actually eaten in hours.

After he was finished, he sat back against the bathroom wall, having no strength to get up off the floor.

Everything that had just happened played back in his mind, and he couldn't stop as the emotions overwhelmed him. What was wrong with him? Why did he allow some hypothetical situation get to him so much? And why had he been so anxious when Tsubaki had shown up?

He had been so angry for some reason, and he didn't even know why…it wasn't like he had any reason to be angry, she had never even said two words to him before today. If anything she was the one that had every right to be angry with him, at least if she ever learned the truth…

Kakashi's head began to spin, and a few tears began escaping from his eye.

Why was he being so pathetic? They had been having a perfectly good outing when everything seemed to crumble in a blink of an eye. And what was this feeling that was causing this surge of emotions? Causing him to barely be able to breathe in between sobs. And why was he so disappointed when it became obvious that Iruka wasn't coming after him? Why did he even want Iruka to come after him?

Kakashi buried his head in his lap, continuing to sob, praying that this hormone induced breakdown would hurrying up and pass…because as sad/confused/anxious/angry as he might have been in that moment, he was also starving and wanted nothing more then to fill his face so he could go take a nap and forget about everything that happened that afternoon.

…

"What do you say to Kakashi?" Minato said with a mock sternness in his voice.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Naruto said, jumping up and down in excitement, holding his new stuffed fox tightly to his chest. "I love it!"

"I'm glad you like it kiddo," Kakashi said, chuckling at the young boy's excitement, giving his yellow hair a playful shuffle, before the boy ran over, jumping up on the couch, plopping down in between his two parents.

"I'm going to name him Kurama!" Naruto said proudly, holding his new toy for his parents to see.

"I think that's a great name," Kushina said, exchanging a knowing look with her husband, before smiling fondly down at their son.

Both parents listened intently as Naruto began talking excitedly about all the toys he had received from Santa and where he was going to put them in his room.

Kakashi could practically see the love Kushina and Minato had for their son radiating off of them, and couldn't help but smile at the thought that this time next year he would be spending Christmas morning with his own child.

His hand went subconsciously to his stomach, giving it a gentle rub, when another thought occurred to him. This had been the same thought he had been struggling with for days now, ever since he had run off from Iruka after their shopping trip.

That even though he was going to be a father, he would never have what the three people in front of him had…a complete family.

Next year on Christmas morning Iruka would probably be waking up with his new wife, and who knows, maybe by then she would be expecting a child of her own. The thought that she could some day soon be having Iruka's child as well caused his stomach to churn unpleasantly.

His unwelcome thoughts must have shown on his face, because Kushina and Minato were now looking at him with concern.

"Are you alright Kakashi?" Kushina asked, her eyes flicking to his hand, which was still resting on his abdomen.

He realized what it must have looked like and quickly pulled his hand away, "yeah, everything it great."

Kushina exchanged a look with Minato, but chose to let it go for now. After all it was Christmas morning, and she didn't want to ruin it by giving the silver-haired man a lecture about bottling things up, and not asking for help and advice when he should…she would save that lecture for boxing day.

Kakashi was thankful when she didn't persist on the issue, not feeling like talking about it right now. In fact, he wasn't sure he had any reason to be upset in the first place. This had all started three days ago when an irrational thought about his child being taken away, had slowly spiraled out of control, giving life to even more irrational, most likely hormone fueled, thoughts.

So what if next year Iruka was married and Tsubaki was pregnant, why was that any of his business? Or so what if Tsubaki found out the truth about him and she was accepting, and wanted to be in his child's life…it was Iruka's child too after all, and as long as Tsubaki was in Iruka's life, shouldn't that mean it was okay for her to be in his child's life as well? And so what if Iruka wakes up one morning and decides he wants nothing to do with Kakashi or their child…it would only be his loss right?

Kakashi shook himself out of all the thoughts that had been plaguing his mind for days, deciding he wasn't going to dwell on it any further. As long as next Christmas he spent it with his child, he really couldn't complain.

"There's one last present for you here," Minato said, bringing Kakashi out of his own little world.

The silver-haired man looked around, surprised that the living room had already been tidied up from all the wrapping paper, and Kushina and Naruto were no longer in the room. He heard sounds coming from the kitchen, Kushina beginning to prepare breakfast no doubt. Kakashi was a little embarrassed he had zoned out for that long.

"You and Kushina already gave me more than enough…" Kakashi said, looking at the wrapped parcel in the older man's hand.

"It's not from us," he said, handing the gift over to Kakashi, who took in hesitantly. "It's from a certain mission room employee who absolutely insisted I make sure you get this."

Kakashi tensed up at Minato's words, looking down at the gift in surprise. He knew the Chuunin had been trying to get a hold of him for the last couple of days, but he had went out of his way to ignore him. He knew it was probably childish of him, and that he had no reason to be doing it, but he couldn't seem to help himself. He was worried seeing Iruka would stir up some weird unknown feelings like it had the last time.

Kakashi looked back up, only to notice he was now alone in the room, Minato no doubt wanting to give him a little privacy. He sighed, realizing he didn't have any excuse not to open it.

He started with the card that was taped to the top of the gift, flipping it open to see what was written inside. It was almost comical to see the shear amount of writing that Iruka had managed to fit it in there, obviously having a lot to say to him.

 _Merry Christmas Kakashi,_

 _I hope you and the little one are doing well. You really freaked me out the other day when you ran off, I was worried something might have happened to you, especially when you avoided seeing me afterwards. I asked Minato-sama about it, and he assured me that you were fine, which I was definitely relieved to hear._

 _But now I'm just a little confused. I had thought things had been going well between us, and am not sure why you've been ignoring me. I'm sure you have your reasons, so I'm sorry if it was anything that I did. I didn't mean to upset you in anyway, and that would be the last thing I would ever want to do._

 _I know you will probably be spending Christmas with Minato-sama and his wife, and I won't disturb your celebration, but I really want to see you as soon as I can afterwards, and hopefully I can fix whatever it was I did._

 _I hope you like the gift and don't think it's too cheesy. And I hope you and the little one have a great day._

 _Iruka_

Kakashi set the card down, feeling a wave of guilt wash over him. He hadn't even considered how worried Iruka probably was after he took off like that, and knew the younger man didn't deserve to be ignored like he had been. Not only that, but he was blaming himself, when it was Kakashi and his ridiculous thoughts that were to blame. He made a mental note to get in contact with Iruka as soon as possible so he could apologize.

He unwrapped the gift, and opened up the box that had been inside. He couldn't help but smile at what he saw, pulling out the two stuffed animals that were inside. They were obviously meant for the baby, but Kakashi wondered if Iruka also knew what this meant to him when he bought them.

One of the stuffed toys was a scarecrow and the other was a dolphin. And in his mind this was Iruka's way letting him know that their baby would always have both of its parents in its life, no matter what ended up happening.

Kakashi clung to the stuffed animals tightly, much like Naruto had to his stuffed fox earlier that morning, and let all his pent up worries and fears slip away.

So what if Tsubaki wanted to be in their child's life, and so what if her and Iruka started a family of their own. It didn't matter, as long as he still had his baby. And their baby would always have both the scarecrow and dolphin watching over it, the thought of which brought him a peace of mind for the first time in days.

 **A/N: A Christmas chapter might seem a little out of place this time of year, but it fit in with the general time line within the story, so I thought I'd touch on it anyway. Let me know what you think! XD**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: What's this! Could it be? A super early update?! It sure is!**

 **I got a little better of a response than usual for the last chapter and I wanted to show you guys I appreciated it. Let this be a lesson to all of you, the more of a response I get, the more I'm motivated to update early. Not that I'm trying to bribe you or anything…okay maybe just a little XD**

 **And a special thanks to tineyninja, VampireDoll666, StrawberrtSweetCakes, Liz, and the guest who all reviewed last chapter. I appreciate it a lot!**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always, I would love to hear what you think :D**

The next month after Christmas seemed to go by quickly, and before Kakashi knew it, he was already well into his fourth-month of pregnancy. He couldn't believe he was already nearing the half waypoint.

But as excited as the thought had made him, there were some not so pleasant things that had went along with it. The main one being, he had now officially formed a baby bump. He knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

It was still fairly small; most people would probably just assume that he had eaten way too much over the holiday season and gained a few pounds. But there was a definite bulge in his lower abdomen, and his once defined abs seemed like nothing but a distant memory.

It could still be concealed pretty easily under most clothing though, which meant that his secret was still safe from the public, at least for a little while longer. Although all his clothing was beginning to get a little uncomfortable to wear, so Kushina had insisted that they go shopping soon to buy him some 'maternity' clothes, a thought that had made him cringe. He hated words like 'maternity' or anything that made him feel remotely like a woman, which seemed harder and harder to avoid. But despite how upsetting some of the realities could be, he knew he just had to grit his teeth and bare it, at least until he had the baby…and then when he regained his former body and abilities he would be able to put any insecurities behind him.

As for other insecurities he was having, namely those involving Iruka, they were able to work some of them out, but that didn't mean they had disappeared completely.

It was the day after Christmas when Iruka had come to talk to him. Kakashi had admitted to the younger man that he had just been having some doubts and fears about the road ahead, but didn't get into too much detail. He didn't want Iruka to know that he was doubting his commitment, after all that was the whole point of the trial run in the first place…and he certainly didn't tell him about his fears of Tsubaki stepping in and trying to be involved in the child's life.

The other man probably thought he was already unstable enough, considering their first few run ins, he didn't want to make it any worse by starting to babble irrational nonsense to him.

Iruka had done his best to reassure him, despite the lack of information he had. He even went so far as to confess that even though they had called this whole thing a 'trial run', that the moment he had seen the sonogram he had already made his decision. There was no way he could walk away now, no matter the consequences.

Iruka's words had comforted Kakashi enough that he was able to push all his other insecurities aside, and at least temporarily allow their trial run to resume. But he was still hesitant to deem it anything but a 'trial run' refusing to completely let his guard down. Iruka might have been sincere in his words, and it might have brought him a certain peace of mind, but that didn't mean things couldn't still change…

After all, his mind had completely changed when it came to wanting to have this baby in the first place. He had absolutely, 100%, wanted to get rid of it at first, and now here he was, at yet another appointment to make sure the child was perfectly healthy and there were no complications. So given his own change of heart, he wasn't completely ready to dismiss the idea of Iruka having one as well.

Kakashi sighed impatiently, pushing all his thoughts about the past month aside, as he waited for Lady Tsunade to hurry up and get back into the exam room she had left him in. She had begun her regular weekly exam, and asked him to take off his shirt so she could properly feel his abdomen, and make sure everything felt normal and was developing like it should.

He had been embarrassed when he had taken off his shirt, and Tsunade had seen his now apparent baby bump, but he supposed as his doctor, it couldn't really be avoided. But what embarrassed him even more was the fact that he was now sitting shirtless in the exam room all alone.

Tsunade had to run out to grab something, and told him to wait right there, that she would be back in a second to finish the exam. Which had definitely been more then a few seconds ago.

He picked up his shirt annoyed, about to put it back on, when the door began to open.

"About time you got back…" He said impatiently, but trailed off when he looked up and saw that it wasn't Tsunade that had opened the door at all.

Standing there was a brunette woman, with her long hair tied back, and she was wearing glasses. She was fairly short and slender, and looked like she was probably in her mid to late twenties. Kakashi didn't recognize her, but judging from her uniform, she must have been a Jounin ranked medical ninja.

The woman looked fairly surprised too, obviously not expecting to see anyone in there, and certainly not a man. This was the maternity ward after all. Her eyes trailed down Kakashi's chest, until it landed on his swollen abdomen, causing her to gasp in surprise.

It was this that finally snapped Kakashi out of his frozen state. He had been so caught off guard by the woman's presence that he hadn't been able to move. But after seeing her eyes land on his stomach, and the gasp that followed, he quickly put his shirt on, hiding away the evidence…but it seemed to be too late. The damage was done.

"I'm sorry," the woman apologized, giving a small bow before she hurried out of the room.

Kakashi cursed under his breath and tried to chase after her. He left the room, looking frantically up and down the halls, but couldn't see any signs of her anywhere. He began to mentally panic; he couldn't believe someone had found out. Sure it was only a matter of weeks until he wouldn't be able to hide it and everybody would find out, but he wasn't ready for that, not yet. He hadn't had time to mentally prepare himself, and just prayed that this woman would keep her mouth shut…she was a medical ninja after all, didn't that mean there was some sort of confidentiality rule? And who knows, maybe she would just think he was fat…just some random fat guy sitting in the maternity ward with his shirt off…

He sighed defeated, heading back into the exam room, hoping that Tsunade would hurry the hell up so he could get out of there…not to mention ask her about the woman that he saw, hoping that she would be able to do something to ensure his secret was kept.

…

"You know, you don't have to walk me home like this. I know you were busy with work today…you should've just went home to relax." Kakashi said, breaking the comfortable silence that had come over him and the other man.

"Well I felt bad for missing the appointment, and wanted to know how it went." Iruka replied honestly. Over the past month, Iruka had made it a priority to be there for all of Kakashi's appointments, not only so he could hear first hand how his child was developing, but also to be their to support the other man, particularly when it came to anything involving a needle. So today when his shift in the mission room ran long, because of them being short staffed, he had felt guilty for not being there.

"Everything is fine, and we are both completely healthy." Kakashi reported, and saw the younger man visibly relax at that. "But there was something that did happen…" He trailed off, not sure he should even mention it. It really hadn't been that big of a deal, but it was something that he hadn't been able to shake.

"What happened?" Iruka asked a little worried, when he sensed the distress from the other man.

"Well, there was this medical ninja, a woman, who walked in on me in one of the exam rooms while I had my shirt off…I can't be sure if she figured it out or not, but going by the reaction she had, I'd say it's likely…"

Iruka listened quietly as the other man spoke, seeing the worry in his one exposed eye. He could understand Kakashi's apprehension at the idea that his secret could get out, especially before he was ready.

In all honesty, he himself was worried about the day that the secret would become known, even though he would never say that to the other man. But no matter how committed he now was to this child, he couldn't completely forget about his worries and fears when it came to his fiancée finding out. Would she leave him? Would she forgive him? How would things work if she did forgive him? How would it all affect Kakashi?

There were so many unknowns about what his future held and quite frankly he found himself becoming more and more anxious about everything. He had even found himself waking up in the middle of the night sometimes; having what he was sure was some sort of panic attack. When that would happen, he would usually leave the room, not wanting to wake Tsubaki, because the last thing he would want is for her to try and talk to him about it.

He knew it was only a matter of time now until things would be out in the open, and there was nothing he could do but wait and see what happened. And he would just have to accept whatever it was, because at this point, there was no way he could stand the thought of not being in his child's life.

As hesitant as he was at first about the idea of being a father, thinking there was no way he was close to being ready, over the past month or so, all that had changed. From the moment he had first heard his baby's heart beat, and seen its first images during the sonogram, he had fallen completely in love. And nothing, or no one, was going to change that.

"Did you tell Tsunade?" Iruka finally asked, after snapping himself out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, and she said she would look into it, but I know how busy she is…and she didn't seem to be that concerned. I guess she has faith that all her staff would uphold the patient-doctor confidentiality thing, but I don't know." Kakashi sighed, slowing his pace slightly as his fears from early began to sink back in. "I know it's silly for me to be so worried about the idea of people finding out…I mean let's face it, it's only a matter of weeks, maybe a month at most, before people start figuring it out anyway. I mean Christ, It's gotten to the point that I'm supposed to go shopping with Kushina to buy some maternity clothes tomorrow…but still…is it wrong that the idea of people finding out scares me so much?"

At this point both men had stopped walking altogether, standing alone in the empty, snow covered, street. Iruka could sense the apprehension coming from the other man, and instantly felt concerned. All his own fears and insecurities seemed to disappear, and all he wanted to do was find some way to get rid of Kakashi's.

He wasn't sure what he could do, because despite the fact that he tried to be there as much as he could for the other man, when it came down to it, he still had no idea what he was going through. No matter how hard he had tried he couldn't seem to put himself in Kakashi's shoes, and all his own fears seemed to pale in comparison to what he must be going through.

"No, it's not wrong. I think it's a perfectly normal reaction. I mean, this is something that is completely new to the shinobi world, and it's definitely bound to shock most people. So I think it's perfectly natural to be a little worried or upset about the idea that people are going to find out, especially before you're ready." Iruka replied gently, placing one of his hands on the other man's arm, hoping to bring him what little comfort he could.

Kakashi seemed to relax a bit at the touch, and could feel some of his nerves begin to fade away. "You really think so? You don't think I'm pathetic for being this upset about it?" He asked, knowing what the answer was going to be, so he felt a little stupid for asking at all…he blamed it on the hormones. Whenever he did something that he normally wouldn't do, or say something he normally wouldn't say, over these past few months he would just blame it on the hormones. Which he had to admit it was a useful excuse.

"Of course not!" Iruka practically shouted, quickly lowering his voice back down, "There's nothing you could do that would ever make me think you were pathetic. The shear fact that you decided to see this pregnancy through makes you incredibly brave in my mind. I don't think a lesser man would have been able to make that choice like you did. And it's perfectly natural to be having certain fears or doubts, and trust me when I say you aren't the only one…"

"Really?" Kakashi asked, conflicting emotions surfacing at the other man's words. On the one hand, hearing Iruka call him brave for the decision he made brought him a certain amount of joy. He had no idea why that made him so happy, but it did. But on the other hand, hearing that Iruka was likely having his own doubts, made him feel a little guilty. Here he was, so consumed with his own fears and insecurities over the past month that he never really stopped and considered what the other man might be going through. And in a weird way, he was almost relieved to know he wasn't the only one with fears…it made him feel like maybe Iruka understood what he was going through a little more then he initially realized.

"Really." Iruka answered, averting his gaze from the other man's. He felt guilty the moment he had brought it up…he wanted to make Kakashi feel better, not stress him out more by burdening him with his own insecurities.

"You know that this is a two way street right?" Kakashi said, placing his own hand on the other man's arm. "You've been trying so hard this past month to be here for me…to bring me whatever food it is I want…or to be there at all my appointments…that I never really thought about the fact that I should be there for you as well. Don't ever hesitate to talk to me about anything."

"I wouldn't want to burden you with anything and cause any extra stress on you…" Iruka said, hesitantly looking up at the other man, his heart breaking when he saw the look in his eye.

"The only thing that is going to cause me more stress is to think that you are having your own doubts and fears, and instead of sharing them with me, you are keeping them to yourself." Kakashi said, knowing he was probably being a little hypocritical at this point, knowing that there were many fears of his own that he still wasn't sharing with the younger man…but still. "You should be able to rely on me, just like I have been relying on you! We are in this together after all…or at least that's what I thought…"

Damn emotions, Kakashi cursed to himself, as he felt his hormones once again take over. He looked away, not wanting Iruka to see him cry, when the other man did something he hadn't been expecting.

Iruka hated that he upset the other man, and did the only thing he could think of to bring him any sort of comfort. He pulled him closer with the arm he had still been holding, bringing him into a tight embrace.

The move had surprised Kakashi, causing him to tense up briefly, before he quickly relaxed into the embrace, bring his own arms around the other man. The two of them stayed silent for a few minutes, just enjoying the comfort they were receiving from the other.

It was a weird feeling, Iruka thought, having the other man in his arms. He was so use to having Tsubaki in his arms, her being so much smaller then him, but Kakashi was an inch or two taller than him, and had a slightly bigger build then his own, yet it didn't feel as weird as he figured it would. There was something about the other man, a certain vulnerability that made Iruka want to hold him, to keep him safe…the idea caused the tan man to blush, thinking how stupid of a thought that really was.

This was Kakashi Hatake after all, probably the strongest ninja in the village, except for maybe the Hokage himself. And even though he might be a little vulnerable now, he was still the copy-nin, and he certainly didn't need a Chuunin level teacher protecting him. The thought made him want to pull away, feeling very foolish all of a sudden, but he didn't because he could still feel the sobs wracking the other man's body. He couldn't possibly take this comfort away from him, not now.

And Kakashi was definitely comforted by the embrace, as much as he hated to admit it. He was completely embarrassed that he let his emotions get the better of him like that, and that Iruka was seeing him in this state…but like so much over these past few months it seemed to be out of his control. He just ignored his embarrassment and how vulnerable he felt, and just accepted the comfort he was receiving from the Chuunin, it bringing a certain calm to him that he couldn't seem to get anywhere else.

It was almost funny how small he felt in the other man's arms, considering the other man was the smaller out of the two of them. His stomach gave a slight churn as he thought about it, him becoming embarrassed at the idea. But no matter how embarrassed he felt in that moment, he wasn't about to pull away and lose that comfort…it had felt too good.

A few more minutes passed by, both men continuing to enjoy the comfort. It wasn't until Iruka felt Kakashi's sobs stop, and his breathing even, that he hesitantly pulled away.

"I'm sorry I've kept my feelings about everything from you, and I promise I'll be more honest from now on. The last thing I want is for you to be worrying about anything you don't have to."

"I'm glad to hear that," Kakashi said, feeling much of his anxieties from earlier fade away.

The two of them stayed silent for a few moments, both suddenly realizing how close they still were to each other. Both of them realized it, but neither of them made a move to back away.

There had been so much built of emotions between the two of them, that it began to cloud both of their minds and judgments, both wanting to continue the comfort they were receiving. Both of them without even realizing it, slowly began leaning their faces closer to each others, until they were mere inches apart.

Iruka suddenly realized what was about to happen, his mind telling him to pull away now, before he did something he regretted, but his face didn't budge. They had gotten even closer now, when Iruka suddenly sensed something.

He jumped away from the other man, landing in front of a near by alley, where he had sensed the presence coming from. He had been so distracted by the whole situation with Kakashi that he hadn't noticed it at first, but there had definitely been another shinobi in that alleyway recently. It wasn't until he sensed a surge in their chakra level, and sensed a malicious intent, that he had noticed the presence.

"What is it Iruka?" Kakashi asked, a little worried when he saw the other man had pulled out a kunai knife. What had just happened? He cursed the fact that he was losing his abilities as shinobi, and felt completely useless in that moment.

"I guess it's nothing…" Iruka said hesitantly. He had just agreed moments ago that he would be more open and honest with the other man, but he wasn't sure what he should do about this. He had definitely sensed a malicious intent coming in their direction from another shinobi, and knew he should probably say something. But at the same time he didn't want to stress the other man out anymore then he already had. They had both been through a lot that day, and the last this he wanted to do was needlessly worry Kakashi. "I thought I sensed somebodies presence, but it looks like I was wrong."

"Are you sure that's it?" Kakashi asked hesitantly, their almost kiss from earlier completely gone from his mind now, as a new set of worries began to set in. He might not be able to sense presences anymore, but he was still a Jounin trained ninja, and he could sense a certain apprehension coming off Iruka.

"Yes, I'm sure." Iruka said, giving him what he was hoping was a comforting smile, as he put his kunai away. "Why don't I finish walking you home now? It's getting a little cold out here."

"Okay…" Kakashi hesitantly agreed, still unsure if Iruka was being honest with him or not. But he decided not to argue right now, because Iruka was right, he was starting to get a little cold, and he couldn't wait to get home to the left over cookies he had waiting for him. The thought of Iruka's cookies was almost enough to make him forget about all his insecurities from that day altogether.

As they began walking again, Iruka's nerves calmed a little a well. Kakashi seemed to be content in that moment, and that's all that mattered to him. But still…he knew he wouldn't be able to shake the feeling that something was wrong, and planned to make an extra stop after he dropped Kakashi off. If there was one man that would know what to do, it was the Hokage.

 **A/N: Thoughts? What did you think of that almost kiss? And what or whom could Iruka have been sensing? Any guesses?**

 **And P.S. I'm not sure if it's an actual thing that a ninja would be able to sense 'malicious' intent like that. I remember during the war that Naruto in his ninetails chakra form or whatever, was the only one able to sense the white zetsu clones because of their malicious intent or something like that…so considering that, it's unlikely that Iruka would be able to sense something like that, but it's also unlikely that Iruka would get Kakashi pregnant, so let's just pretend it's a thing XD**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thank you for the great response again, and here is another early chapter for you! I'm glad my bribing worked, muahahaha.**

 **I'm sorry I didn't have time to answer any of the reviews, I was going to, but I ran a little short on time, I'm about to take off for a couple of days and won't have access to the internet, so I figured you guys would probably rather have another chapter then have me respond to reviews, haha. But I do thank every one of you, and I do appreciate them all!**

 **And tineyninja, I was going to try and fit your idea into this chapter, about the maternity shopping and the shopkeeper seeing. I even wrote the entire thing out, but it wasn't originally in this chapter, and after reading it over it didn't seem to fit quite right in here. So I'll either put it in a later chapter, or I had an idea that I would eventually post a separate story filled with one-shots and drabbles from this universe. Like bonus side-stories that didn't fit into the original. That way I can explore a lot of things before the pregnancy, during, and after the baby comes that we might not get to see in the main story. I probably won't post that until this story is closer to being finished, but when the time comes I will be open to prompts, so you all can start thinking of ideas now XD**

 **Anyway I apologize for the long author's note and I hope you enjoy this chapter :D**

…

The next two weeks seemed to fly by, both Iruka and Kakashi falling into a comfortable routine. They were both happy to find that there was no awkwardness between them about what almost happened a couple of weeks earlier, and neither had felt the need to bring it up again.

They both just figured they let their emotions from their conversation get the better of them, and that the almost kiss was nothing more than them seeking comfort from those emotions.

But things had been going much smoother between them now, both of them opening up to the other about any insecurities or doubts they were having, and the other would just listen without judgment. The system seemed to be working well for them, and neither felt the need to ruin it by bringing up something that would only complicate things.

Kakashi had been a little unsure at first, thinking that Iruka must have been keeping something from him, after what happened after their almost kiss. He could have sworn he felt worry radiating from the other man, but his suspicions completely disappeared once Iruka began opening up to him more. He figured his hormone rattled brain must have been imagining things.

"I wish she wouldn't keep us waiting," Kakashi complained, growing slightly annoyed at the blonde medical ninja.

"She's the head of the medical core, I'm sure she's really busy…" Iruka began, but quickly trailed off when the older man shot him an irritated look. "I mean, yeah…I wish she would hurry up."

Kakashi nodded, satisfied with the answer. He wasn't so much annoyed at Tsunade, as he was excited about what they were about to find out, and didn't want to have to wait a second longer.

He was nearing his 5th month now, and Tsunade had told him that she would be able to do an ultrasound today, and that they would finally be able to find out the gender of the baby.

He still remembered the little girl from his dream months ago, so he was sure in his heart he already knew the gender, but he was excited to find out for sure. This way he could start plotting out the nursery, and not be worried about possibly getting the gender wrong. He knew he would be just as happy if it ended up being a boy, but he had already thought about so many different ideas and names for a girl, that that was what he was hoping for.

Iruka chuckled slightly, seeing how visibly excited the other man was, and the truth was he was equally excited. He couldn't wait to find out if he was having a daughter or a son, and was thankful for a distraction.

Two weeks ago, after sensing the malicious intent coming from an unknown shinobi, he had dropped Kakashi off at home and immediately went over to the Hokage's house. He had felt like maybe he was overreacting at first, but knew he wouldn't be able to shake off his worry, and if anything ended up happening because he had kept his mouth shut, he would never be able to forgive himself.

 **Two weeks earlier…**

"Oh, you're Umino Iruka right?" Kushina asked after answering the door and seeing who was standing there. She hadn't seen him since that day at the café about a month ago, but had since learned who he was. She had pestered the answer out of Kakashi shortly after they had left the café that day, and couldn't help but be a little surprised.

She had been angry at the Chuunin at first, how dare he cheat on his fiancée and knock up her poor little Kakashi! What an asshole! But that anger quickly faded when she realized that without Iruka, Kakashi wouldn't be pregnant, and having this baby seemed to be the first thing that has brought the silver-haired man any joy in years…so she figured she could look past his infidelity. As long as he didn't end up hurting Kakashi in anyway that is…otherwise he would feel the full wrath of the red-hot habanero first hand.

"Yes, it's nice to officially meet you ma'am," he said giving a slight bow. He may have been shaken about the day's earlier event, but he remembered his manners. She was the Hokage's wife after all, not to mention a good friend of Kakashi's, that last thing he wanted to do was disrespect her in anyway.

"You as well…" She said, attempting to sound sincere, "What can I do for you?"

"Is Minato-sama around? I was hoping to have a word with him."

"He's fairly busy right now, working on some paper work…" She began, not liking when shinobi continuously bothered her husband. He was busy enough as it was, that he didn't need his subordinates showing up at his home and bothering him with every little thing. But there was something about the look on Iruka's face that made her stop.

"I'm sorry to interrupt him, but it's rather important…it involves Kakashi."

"Why didn't you say so!?" Kushina said, quickly pulling the tanned man into the house. The look on his face suddenly began to worry her once she knew it involved Kakashi. The idea that something could be wrong with her dear friend sent her into a sort of panic, as she quickly went to retrieve her husband, leaving Iruka to stand waiting in the living room.

Iruka was a little uncomfortable at first, he was standing in the Hokage's living room after showing up uninvited…but that thought was forgotten when he saw a little yellow-haired boy run into the room.

He came to see who was at the door, his eyes lighting up when he recognized the nice man from his daddy's office.

"Hi!" he said excitedly.

"Hey there Naruto, how are you doing?" Iruka asked kindly, crouching down so that he was at eye level with the little boy. He couldn't help but smile when he saw the stuffed fox grasped tightly in his arms, remembering helping Kakashi pick it out a month earlier. He guessed it must have been a hit after all. "What's your foxes name?"

"This is Kurama!" Naruto answered, smiling brightly when the man mentioned his fox. "I got it from big brother Kakashi for Christmas!" He proclaimed, excitedly starting to ramble about all the other toys he got for Christmas, when his parents entered the room.

"Come here little man," Kushina said, scooping up her giggling son. "Want to help mama make some cookies?" She asked, knowing that Naruto would protest leaving the room unless some sort of treat was involved.

"Okay! Can Kurama help to?" Naruto asked, holding his fox out to his mother.

"Of course he can. I would expect nothing less from him." She smiled kindly, she began carrying Naruto out of the room, after giving Iruka a slight nod as a goodbye, leaving the two men alone to talk. She would have liked to stay and hear about what was going on first hand, but knew Naruto would need distracting, so she figured it was alright as long as she got all the details from her husband later.

Once Minato heard the door to the kitchen click, he gestured for the younger man to take a seat.

"What's going on Iruka?" Minato wasted no time in asking. His wife mentioned that the Chuunin was here to talk to him about something involving Kakashi, which instantly caused him to worry. If Iruka had went out of his way to talk to him like this, he figured it couldn't be anything good.

"Well, earlier today when I was walking Kakashi home from his appointment, I sensed a presence from an unknown shinobi…" Iruka began, of course leaving out all the stuff that had led up to him sensing the shinobi's presence. Minato nodded in understanding, gesturing for him to continue. "And normally that wouldn't be a big deal, we live in a village of shinobi after all, but there was some thing very ominous about this. It seemed to come out of nowhere, and the chakra level was incredibly strong. Not to mention I felt a malicious intent coming from the individual. By the time I reacted, the presence completely disappeared. I don't really know what this could mean…it could be nothing, but I needed to say something. If there is even the slightest chance Kakashi could be in trouble I just…" Iruka trailed off, not even wanting to think about Kakashi and their child being hurt in any way.

"I understand," Minato said after a moment, taking in everything that was said. He instantly went into Hokage mode and began analyzing the situation. "Does Kakashi know?"

"No…I didn't want to worry him and cause him any more stress, especially if it ended up being nothing."

"I see, that was probably a good call." Minato said, assuring the younger man. "I will start looking into this right away. And in the mean time I will have some protective jutsus set up around both yours and Kakashi's apartments."

"Mine as well?" Iruka asked a little confused.

"Yes," Minato nodded. "Even though Kakashi has made many more enemies then I'm sure you have, we can't disregard the idea that the malicious intent you sensed could have been meant for you. So on top of the jutsus I will also double the ANBU patrol in both of your neighborhoods just incase. Until we get to the bottom of this and find out if it was really nothing or not, I won't take any chances."

"Thank you Hokage-sama," Iruka said, bowing his head in gratitude. He knew right away that he made the right choice in coming to Minato, and all the nerves he had felt about the situation began to ease.

"Of course. I take potential threats against the people of this village very seriously." Minato said.

The two of them talked for a few more minutes, nailing down the details of all the safety measure that were to be put in place. Both of them agreeing that Kakashi, if possible, shouldn't go out alone, and tried to come up with away that one of them, or Kushina, would be with the other man at all times.

Once all the details had been ironed out, Iruka left, feeling a lot better then he had earlier. It was only once his worries were calmed that he had remembered about the almost kiss, and couldn't help but blush at the thought. What had they been thinking?

 **Present time…**

They had put all the safety measure into motion right away, and Iruka had been relieved when nothing seemed to come from it. He was hoping that nothing would continue to happen, and the presence he had sensed would turn out to be completely harmless, but the safety measure's had been kept in place just in case. They still hadn't gotten to the bottom of it, and until they did, they wouldn't take any chances.

"Finally!" Kakashi practically cried when Tsunade made her way into the room.

"Oh be quiet brat!" The blonde medical-nin quipped, rolling her eyes, but smiling despite herself. She knew that Kakashi was just excited about finding out the gender, and she couldn't deny that she was excited as well.

She wasted no time in starting the machine up, figuring she would do the rest of the exam that she would normally do first, later, not wanting keep the two men in suspense longer then she had to.

Kakashi laid back, and was a little hesitant when it came to pulling up his shirt this time. Iruka hadn't seen his abdomen since the first sonogram nearly 2 months ago, and he was a little embarrassed for him to see how much he had grown. Sure he had seen him in tee shirts and such, where his growing abdomen was apparent, but he hadn't seen it completely bare yet.

Iruka kept his face neutral as Kakashi pulled up his shirt, but couldn't help but be a little surprised. Even though he was fully aware of the pregnancy, it was like every time he saw some sort of proof of it he was a little surprised. Like the first time they saw their child during the ultrasound, or the first time he saw Kakashi's hormones and emotions get the better of him, and now seeing his abdomen clearly and not obstructed by clothing. The older man's stomach was larger then he had thought it would be, and had to suppress a smile at the thought that that was his child growing in there.

"Are you guys ready?" Tsunade asked, after rubbing the cool gel on the silver-haired man's abdomen. The two men nodded eagerly is response, so Tsunade obliged and flicked the machine on.

She saw both men smile (although Kakashi's was behind a mask) as the sound of the baby's heartbeat filled the room. Seeing the joy from the two of them never got old, and it brought a warmth to her heart.

It didn't take long for her to locate the child, and it only took a few moments for her to find the answer that they had all been waiting for. A huge smile broke out on her face, and when she looked up she saw both men staring at her expectantly.

She froze the sonogram picture, and took a few minutes to type some stuff in to send the picture off to be printed. She figured the two of them would want to remember this moment, not to mention she wanted to delay telling them to build up the anticipation.

She could feel Kakashi glaring a hole into the back of her head and couldn't help but laugh before turning back around, deciding to put them out of their misery.

"The child looks completely healthy and is developing well…" She said, which of course they were both thrilled to hear, but they stayed silent, begging her to continue. "And it looks like your instincts were correct after all brat."

"R-really?" Kakashi asked, feeling his heart rate pick up, and a huge wave of emotion wash over him.

"Yup," she smiled, "you guys are going to have a baby girl."

Iruka and Kakashi turned towards each other, exchanging a look filled with so much excitement and joy, that Tsunade could literally feel it radiating off of them.

Iruka of course would have loved to have a son as well, but hearing that their baby was a girl, that he was going to have a daughter, caused his heart to nearly explode with joy. And for Kakashi, this really was just confirming what he had known all along, ever since he saw that image of a little girl in his dream…but having it confirmed was almost overwhelming, and he could feel the tears sting his eyes.

As much as he hated his hormones sometimes, and all the extra emotion he experienced because of them, he didn't care in that moment, and let the tears fall freely.

Iruka was beside him now, and didn't even care if he got some of the gel that was still on the other man's abdomen on his uniform, when he pulled the other man into a tight embrace.

Kakashi instantly responded, wrapping his arms around the younger man's neck, and leaned his head against his shoulder as he let his tears continue to fall.

The moment was so sweet, that Tsunade couldn't help but feel a few tears of her own begin to prickle behind her eyes. She had seen so many happy couples react similarly when finding out the gender of their child, and the sight never got old. Although, every time she did witness something like this, it just reminded her about the fact that she was never able to have a child her self, and usually ended up with the tiniest feeling of resentment and jealousy. But not this time, she almost saw Kakashi as a son of some sorts, and couldn't be happier for him in that moment.

"We're going to have a daughter," Iruka whispered to Kakashi.

The older man could only nod in response, as he continued to struggle to get his emotions in check. The whole experience was so overwhelming, that he almost felt like he could literally get sick because he was so happy. Which was such a foreign feeling…he had remembered times from his past when his grief and pain had been so strong that he had gotten sick, but never in his life had he gotten a similar feeling because of happiness.

It had been just over 10 years since Rin had died, which meant it had been just over a decade since he had felt any form of happiness, but it almost felt like these last two months, not to mention this moment now, were filled with 10 years of missed happiness for him.

He held onto Iruka even tighter, and was happy when Iruka responded by holding him just as tight. He was happy that he had given Iruka the chance to be involved, and couldn't imagine this moment without him there.

Tsunade continued to watch the two of them, her joy for them only matched by her concern. After she learned Iruka was the father of Kakashi's baby, she had been curious so she had done a little digging into the younger man's life…like every good sort of mother would do…and had discovered his situation. She knew that he was engaged to be married, and couldn't help but feel a little concerned for the silver-haired man. Even though Kakashi had assured her that they had come to an understanding when it came to the child, and that there were no 'romantic' feelings what so ever between them, she couldn't help but feel that that wasn't exactly true…or if it really wasn't true, then it would be soon enough if they continued heading down whatever road they appeared to be on. Especially after seeing the look they just exchanged and the embrace that they were currently sharing. She just didn't want to see Kakashi get hurt, especially not when happiness was finally returning to his life.

The two men finally pulled apart, and she could see Kakashi wiping away the last of his tears. She could sense a little bit of awkwardness after the exchange, and she figured she would do them the favor of breaking it.

"Ready to finish the exam?" She asked, pulling a needle from a near by drawer.

"You just had to go a ruin the moment you witch!" Kakashi mock glared, but even the idea of the impending needle wasn't enough to ruin his mood. In just over four months he was going to have a daughter, and that thought alone was enough to keep a smile on his face for the rest of the day, even as the much detested needle was stuck into his arm. But of course Iruka was there to allow him to squeeze his hand anyway. The copy-nin couldn't help but think that life couldn't get much better.

…

"About time you got here." A raven-haired man snapped, when he sensed a familiar presence approaching their agreed upon meeting spot. The brunette woman came into view, and he shot her a glare. "You're nearly an hour late."

"When you hear what I have to say, the extra wait will be well worth it." She smirked, rolling her eyes at her companion's impatience.

"Well, what is it?" He asked curiously, seeing the almost sinister smile on the woman's face.

She handed him something, a small picture, and he studied it carefully before looking up at her in confusion.

"What the hell is this? A picture of an unborn baby?"

"Yup," she answered, smiling at his obvious confusion.

"Why are you showing me this? Did Hatake get some girl pregnant or something?" He asked, still not quite understanding the relevance of the image. He supposed though if the copy-nin had knocked up some girl that they could use that to their advantage.

"Even better," the woman smiled, "you might have a hard time believing this but…"

She began explaining the situation, receiving much skepticism from her companion, which was understandable. She still had no idea how this was possible herself, but after she gave him all the evidence she had uncovered, not to mention told him about the conversation he had overheard nearly two weeks ago, he couldn't help but agree that it must be true.

"We will have to rethink our plan a bit," He said after thinking carefully about everything he had just been told. "But this will just make our revenge that much sweeter."

The two of them exchanged smirks, reveling in the knowledge that after so much waiting, that it wouldn't be long before they could finally set their plan in motion.

…

 **A/N: And so the drama begins! Who could these two individuals be? And why are they after our poor Kakashi?**

 **On a brighter note, I can officially ask this question. Does anybody have any name ideas for the baby? I was going to ask this a couple of chapters ago, but then I realized I should probably wait until I actually confirmed the gender for sure. But now that it's confirmed, I am open to any ideas. I have a few of my own, but will definitely take opinions into consideration. XD**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Special thanks to tineyninja, VampireDoll666, StrawberrySweetCakes, Hatake Lihn Black, and splitheart1120, for reviewing, I appreciate it! And thanks for the name suggestions. There was one of you that suggested a name I actually had on my own list, it was one of my top 3 before you even reviewed, so once I saw the suggestion I figured I might as go with that one. I hope the rest of you like it.**

 **And I hope you all enjoy!**

…

"So, have you thought of any names yet?" Iruka asked from Kakashi's kitchen, where he was currently preparing the older man dinner.

"Sort of…" Kakashi trailed off, getting up from his spot on the couch, to sit at the kitchen table instead. He could smell that the food was nearly finished, and could almost salivate at the thought.

Even though Iruka had barely cooked or baked before he had met Kakashi, it turned out he was actually pretty good at it. He had made it a habit of baking the copy-nin cookies every week, and started making him dinner at least twice a week.

He had felt a little bad about all the extra time he had been spending with Kakashi, knowing that Tsubaki was probably feeling neglected, but he couldn't seem to help it. Especially since the potential threat to Kakashi hadn't been resolved yet. He felt like he needed to be around the other man as much as possible, just in case. But not only that, it was nice to spend time with the person caring his child, and really getting a chance to know him.

They had learned a lot about each other over the last couple of weeks, such as Iruka finding out more about Kakashi's past. He had of course heard the rumors, seeing as the copy-nin was famous, but it was nice to learn the actual truth from the man himself. It of course broke his heart when he had learned all the pain and heartache Kakashi had suffered, and he had wanted more then anything to take that pain away somehow.

And in return Iruka had opened up to Kakashi about how his parent's had died when he was 10, during the third great shinobi war. He had been proud that his parents had died as heroes, but that had done little to ease the pain of their loss. After that, Iruka lived with his paternal grandmother, until he was about 17, when she unfortunately passed away after battling a long illness. It was shortly after the loss of his grandmother that he had met Tsubaki. He had seen her around the village before and always thought she was so beautiful. In fact he never really found himself attracted to any other woman before he had met Tsubaki. And the two of them had hit it off right away, and after a few years of dating they eventually moved in together, and got engaged.

"What do you mean sort of?" Iruka asked, putting the final touches on the curry he had made, before serving it to Kakashi, taking his own seat across the table.

"Well…I've been playing with a few ideas I guess." Kakahi said, playing with his food nervously. He had no idea why he would be nervous about discussing baby names, it was obviously something they had to do eventually, but it was something so personal…that he couldn't help his face from heating up. What if the other man hated the names he liked? What if he laughed?

"Do you want to share them?" Iruka asked after the other man stayed silent for a few minutes, eating his curry. His mask was of course down, which caused Iruka's stomach to churn pleasantly. He was honored that the other man felt so comfortable around him now, that he barely kept it up when it was just the two of them. Which Iruka thought was a shame, Kakashi really was a good-looking man, and it was too bad that he felt so insecure about what he looked like. Which was something else Iruka had learned over the past few weeks, that Kakashi hid his face, not because he was hideously disfigured, like most the rumors suggested, but because of the fact that he looked so much like his father. And after his father had gotten himself killed in such a disgraceful way, he was ashamed walking around the village with his face, receiving all the looks of pity, or even distain when others saw him. Hearing that had broken his heart, but he knew there wasn't anything he could do to comfort him short of going back in time and changing the past.

"Well…I kind of like Izumi, Aiko, or Suki. But I'm completely open to any ideas you might have as well." Kakashi finished, looking back down at his food, not wanting to see his reaction.

"Those would all be great names." Iruka said, reassuring him, seeing how tense he looked, "I think I like the name Aiko the best though."

"Really?" Kakashi took the chance to look up, visibly relieved that Iruka hadn't shot down any of his name ideas. "That was actually my favorite one too."

"Yeah?" Iruka smiled. "I actually had some great-great-grandmother with that name. I obviously never met her, but my mom told me stories about her. Apparently she was the best medical-nin of her time or something. But after hearing stories about her, I decided that I really did like her name, and that if I ever had a daughter…" He trailed off, allowing Kakashi to fill in the rest.

He couldn't believe the coincidence when Kakashi had said that name, and he had been prepared himself to mention it.

"Really?"

"Yup. So I personally think it's a great name. Not to mention it means 'loved child', which this little girl certainly will be…" Iruka smiled, resting his hand on the older man's abdomen. It was still a little weird to do so, he felt like he was invading Kakashi's personal space, and had to get consent every time he wanted to touch it. But after a few dozen times Kakashi had gotten annoyed and said 'yes dammit, you can touch it whenever you want, just stop asking….'

"I agree," Kakashi smiled, placing his own hand on his stomach. He hadn't meant to touch Iruka's hand in the process, but when he did he didn't bother pulling it away, and was a little pleased when Iruka didn't pull his away either. "I think we found our little girl's name."

"Yeah," Iruka agreed, looking straight at Kakashi. The two of them simply looked at each other for a few seconds, completely lost in the moment.

The moment didn't last long however when a loud, almost frantic knock came at the door. They both exchanged a confused look, before getting up to answer it. It was pretty late, and Kakashi hadn't been expecting anybody, so Iruka had insisted on answering the door, giving Kakashi time to quickly grab a sweater to throw over his tee shirt, attempting in vain to conceal his abdomen, also remembering to pull his mask back up.

He was just over a week into his 5th month now, and his continuously growing bump had gotten even larger. There wasn't much that could fit him now, and they not so surprisingly didn't make and maternity clothes for men, so he had to settle for sweatpants and baggy tee shirts more often then not. He still had a few sweaters that fit him, and they did a half decent job hiding his baby bump, but he was afraid at this point it was a losing battle.

He knew it was only a matter of time now before people started to notice, so over the past two weeks, to delay the inevitable, he had only left his apartment three times. Two of which were for appointments, and the other was to visit Minato and Kushina for dinner. He was hoping the less he was seen, the longer it might take people to notice, and the longer he could wait to tell them.

But because of him being a shut in, he was starting to go a little stir crazy, and had wished on several occasions that he could still use his chakra and use some sort of transformation jutsu. But using chakra was strictly out of the question, not leaving Kakashi with many options. Which was yet another reason why he was so glad Iruka came by as often as he did, he was sure he might have lost his mind at some point with out his company.

Kakashi decided to sit on the couch, with a pillow over his lap, as Iruka opened the door to reveal who it was.

"I have returned at last my eternal rival! And I have come to issue you a challenge!" The green spandex clad man said without bothering to look at who actually answered the door. "I have just returned from a month long mission, and figured you would be eager to accept my chall…who the devil are you?" Gai said, when he finally opened his eyes to look at who was in front of him.

"Umm…I'm Umino Iruka…" The Chuunin answered hesitantly, a little unsure of the strange man before him…he was sure he had seen him around the village a few times before, it was pretty hard not to notice him…but did Kakashi know this guy?

"I'm in here Gai." Kakashi called out from his place on the couch. Iruka took this as indication that Kakashi did indeed know this man, and stepped aside to allow him to enter.

Gai wasted no time in entering the living room and standing before the silver-haired man.

"I apologized for the intrusion. I didn't realize you had company." Gai stated, his hands placed firmly on his hips, with his legs spread apart. It was the typical Gai stance, always standing like he was posing for some sort of picture or something.

"That's alright." Kakashi said, all of a sudden regretting inviting the other man in. He definitely considered Gai one of his closest friends, despite his ability to be over enthusiastic sometimes…and Kakashi was happy when the olive branch he had extended back at Christmas was warmly accepted by his three fellow Jounin. But all of a sudden, having him here now, brought on a wave of nerves and fear.

Would he figure it out? Should he even bother trying to hide it, and just come clean? He was a friend after all…so if his secret was bound to get out to the rest of the village sooner or later, didn't he owe it to his friends to come clean? But how would he react? Would he be supportive? Or would he be so freaked out by the situation that he would turn his back on him? He couldn't honestly see Gai ever turning his back on anyone, so any fears about that were probably unfounded, but that didn't really make the idea any easier.

"How did the mission go?" Kakashi asked, trying to steer the topic away from himself, if only for long enough to mentally prepare himself for the possibility of telling Gai.

"It was an astounding success as always. But when Maito Gai is on the case, how could it not be!" Gai said, giving the room in general a thumbs up. "But enough about that…how are you? I heard you're still not back on active duty yet."

So much for the topic staying off of him for a while…he had to bite back a sigh, and was still torn on what he should tell the other man. "Yeah, and I probably won't be for a few months yet."

"What's going on Kakashi?" Gai asked, his tone finally turning serious, with definite hints of concern. "You said it was nothing to worry about a few months back, and everyone took your word for it…but how can it be nothing to worry about when it has taken you out of active duty for this long? It's not…it's not fatal is it?"

"No I promise it's not fatal…or at least I sure hope it's not." Kakashi added afterward, thinking that there really was still so much unknown about his condition, and not even Tsunade knew how his health was going to be in a few months time. Aiko was going to keep requiring more and more chakra after all to aid in her development, would he even have enough? Tsunade had mentioned a couple of potential risks to him, but she had been sure that she would be able to solve any problem that arose. He trusted her completely, but that didn't really change the fact that there were still risks involved. But he quickly realized he probably shouldn't have added that last part, because he saw Gai visibly tense, and could see Iruka, who was now standing beside the couch, tense as well. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

"But there's no guarantee?!"

"I'm fine. You really shouldn't be too concerned." Kakashi said, in hopes of putting the other two men in the room at ease.

Gai looked at him, his gaze filled with doubt. It was always like his rival to keep things from people, and never open up to anyone. And here he was, on sick leave for months now, and he was trying to play it off like everything was fine! Like he shouldn't be concerned! Weren't they supposed to be friends? Rivals? When would Kakashi trust him enough to open up to him?!

He quickly wiped the panicked look off his face, and replaced it with a smirk. If Kakashi wouldn't tell him, he would try and force it out of him.

"Well then, if you are as fine as you claim, then you won't mind accepting my challenge, will you?"

"Okay…" Kakashi said hesitantly, "How about a rock, paper, scissors rematch?" He asked hopefully, with no luck.

"I was thinking more like a friendly sparring match. If you are as alright as you claim, it shouldn't be a problem."

Gai was now giving his rival a smug look, and Kakashi knew exactly what he was trying to accomplish. Iruka could tell too, but stayed silent. This was Kakashi's friend, and it was up to him whether or not he wanted to tell him the truth. He thought for a moment that maybe he should give the two of them some privacy, but he really didn't know much about this spandex-clad man and what he was capable of, so he chose to stay behind, remaining silent so he didn't interrupt.

"I can't," Kakashi finally sighed after a few moments.

"And why is that?" Gai goaded him to continue.

"Because…" Kakashi trailed off, hesitating once again. This was it, the moment of truth…should he tell him? His heart rate began to pick up, and he could feel a small wave of nausea wash over him. He took a few deep breaths to try and calm his nerves down, the last thing he wanted to do was have to run from the room to puke.

Gai's eyes narrowed, waiting for a response. And after a few moments, when it seemed like he wasn't going to get one, he decided to take a drastic measure. He lifted his leg, and aimed a kick squarely at the silver-haired man's center. He figured this was a sure fire way to find out how sick his rival actually was. If he was still able to dodge it, or block it, then maybe he really was fine…and if he couldn't…well if he was dying anyway, what was the harm in one little kick?

Kakashi's eyes widened when he saw the kick coming, but unfortunately his reaction times and speed had suffered like most of his other ninja abilities, so all he could do was wrap his arms protectively around himself, and hope for the best.

He heard the kick connect, quickly followed by a crack, and was confused at first when he didn't immediately feel any pain. What the hell happened?

He opened his eyes to see Iruka lying unconscious on the ground, a very obvious mark on his face where the kick had landed. 

"Iruka! Are you alright?!" He threw the pillow a side, and crouched down beside the knocked out Chuunin. "Shit Gai! What the hell were you thinking?! You probably broke his jaw or something!"

"I wasn't aiming for him though, it wasn't my fault he stepped in the way!" Gai began trying to defend himself, but an immense amount of guilt was already building up inside of him. He realized quickly that his 'method' of finding out the truth might have been a little harsh…not to mention he had been told on several occasions he didn't know his own strength. So even though he had been 'holding back', he agreed with Kakashi that something was probably broken.

"Iruka? Iruka? Can you hear me?" Kakashi tried again, lightly shaking the Chuunin's shoulders, but it was no use. "We have to get him to the hospital now you asshole!" He hissed, turning his attention back to the other man in the room.

"Right," Gai agreed. And since it was his bad, not to mention he still had no idea how ill Kakashi was, he took the responsibility of picking up the unconscious man. He followed Kakashi out the door, and finally let himself really see his rival for the first time since he had arrived. "You better get well soon…being off duty for so long, you let yourself get fat."

Kakashi could feel his eye twitch a few times, and would've liked nothing more then to shove a chidori right through his big fat mouth in that moment, but he reminded himself to keep calm, and right now they had to worry about Iruka.

"I'll explain things later, let's just get going." Kakashi finally snapped, resigning himself to the fact that he would have to come clean to his friend, especially after all of this. But he would worry about that later.

…

Both men sat silently in the waiting room, a thick tension having built up between them.

Gai could feel the worry radiating off the other man, and felt incredibly guilty for his rash actions. He wasn't sure who this 'Umino Iruka' was to his rival, but he was obviously somebody important.

"I'm really sorry about your friend…" Gai began, finally breaking the silence. "I wasn't really thinking straight in that moment. I was…I was just frustrated because it was obvious you were hiding something, about something potentially serious…and I guess I just figured we were better friends then for you to keep something like that from me. But what I did was wrong, and I do apologize."

Gai's words were sincere, and it caused Kakashi to feel guilt of his own. He was right, they were supposed to be friends, and he probably shouldn't have kept such a big secret from him for so long…or from Asuma or Kurenai. He just hoped they would understand why he kept that secret, once they found out.

"I'm sorry too Gai. And you're right, I probably shouldn't have kept this from you for so long." The silver-haired man sighed, and mentally prepared himself for this. "But the truth is…the reason I have been on medical leave for so long…and the reason I can't fight right now, or use any of my chakra is…I'm-I'm pregnant." Kakashi stuttered out, his face instantly heating up as the words left his mouth. He felt like a kid that just confessed something bad to his parents, and was glad that they were the only two in the waiting room at that moment.

And just like he had expected, Gai burst out laughing, obviously not believing what he had just said.

Kakashi waited patiently for a few minutes for the other man's laughter to finally die down.

"Are you finished?" Kakashi asked, trying not to sound annoyed. It wasn't Gai's fault that he thought it was a joke; it would have been even more surprising if he had believed him right away.

"I appreciate the attempt at humor, my eternal rival. But if you didn't want to tell me, you should have just said so." Gai finally said, almost sounding a little hurt. Here he was thinking that his rival was finally going to be honest with him, and then he had to go and pick this opportunity to attempt to grow a sense of humor.

"I know it sounds insane, and that the whole idea should be physically impossible, but I'm not lying. I really am pregnant."

Gai stayed silent for a moment, narrowing his eyes at the other man. "Are you under a genjutsu right now? Release!" He shouted, waving the sign in front of Kakashi's face.

This just caused the other man a little more annoyance, as he slapped his hands out of his face.

"I'm being serious here! On the day of my birthday, just over 5 months ago, Tsunade accidently gave me this experimental fertility drug she was working on. Basically the drug took my chakra and turned it into this fake womb thing, that as it turns out, is actually able to support a child." Kakashi sighed, giving him the simplest explanation he could, and hoped that he would finally start to take him seriously.

"You're…you're actually being serious right now, aren't you?" Gai finally said, looking over at his friend in shock. He let his eyes trail down, until they reached his abdomen. "So you didn't just get fat?"

"No…well technically I did get fat…but not because of lack of training."

"I see…" He said slowly, trying to process everything that was being said. "So that Iruka guy…that's why he took the kick for you?"

"Yeah. He was just protecting our baby." Kakashi sighed. He knew it was wrong, but he almost felt a little bit happy when Iruka had taken the kick for him. It was proof that he was willing to protect him and their baby. But this instantly caused him to feel guilty, knowing that the younger man would be in pain for a while because of this.

Gai was mentally panicking about the fact that he had almost kicked a pregnant person, not wanting to thinking about what would have happened if that other man hadn't been there. The guilt he felt was intense, the whole thing making him a little ill to think about. When Kakashi's words clicked in his head.

"Wait… 'our baby'. You mean Iruka?" He left the question hanging, receiving a nod from the other man.

"Yeah, Iruka's the other father." Kakashi said hesitantly, bracing himself for any sort of judgment. He knew logically if his friend was going to accept the fact that he was pregnant, he would have to first accept the fact that he slept with men, but it was still hard to admit. Growing up they were all told at one point or another that homosexuality was wrong, and even though there were many who didn't share that opinion, there were still many who did, and seeing as this topic had never come up before, he had no idea what Gai's views were on the issue.

"Huh…" Gai mumbled at first. "I had no idea you were of that persuasion…no wonder you always love sparring with me..."

"Don't flatter yourself!" Kakashi almost shouted, his face instantly heating up. But as embarrassed as he might have been by the comment, he couldn't help but feel a wave of relief come over him as Gai shot him one of his signature smiles.

"Hey, I'm not judging, it's just another natural part of youth!" Gai proclaimed, causing Kakashi to smile despite himself.

He had known Gai long enough to realize that this was his way of letting him know that he accepted him and would support him through this process. Which was a huge weight off of his shoulders. Because as more people found out, he knew he would need as many people on his side as possible.

"I just never figured you'd be a bottom…especially with that little Iruka guy." Gai continued, much to Kakashi's horror. "I mean if the pairing was me and you for example, then you would absolutely be the bottom, but looking at you and Iruka, I must say, I'm surprised…" Gai chuckled.

Kakashi's eye began to twitch again… it was official; after he had this baby he was definitely going to put a chidori through his big fat mouth.

And both men had been so wrapped up in their conversation that neither of them had noticed that they were no longer completely alone, and that someone had managed to get within earshot. That individual's hand was now firmly clasped over their mouth, their eyes widening in horror.

…

 **A/N: Uh-oh, who over heard them?! And I hope you enjoyed! I would love to hear what you thought XD**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks for the great reviews you guys! I appreciate them XD I hope I didn't rush the plot too much here. I was contemplating putting in an extra filler chapter but I had no clue what it would be about and I didn't want to keep you waiting. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

Kakashi awoke to a strange sensation that he hadn't felt before. His hands flew to his abdomen, and his eyes widened when he felt a small nudge against his hand.

"Holy shit!" He said out loud to the empty room. He couldn't believe it; Aiko was kicking for the first time. He had felt minor movements from her before, tiny flutters here or there, but he had never felt a full-blown kick like this before.

He instantly got up out of bed in his excitement, wanting more then anything to share this moment with someone, with anyone, but he quickly frozen when he realized that he was alone in his apartment. And even though Minato and Kushina didn't live that far away…he somehow doubted that they would appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night.

He briefly thought of Iruka, and how nice it would've been if he had been there to share that moment…but he quickly pushed that thought away. He was 5 and a half months along now, and he was beginning to think he was becoming far too dependent on the other man.

He had begun to depend on him to bring him groceries, because he no longer wanted to be seen at the market, and more often then not he depended on him to cook for him. Not to mention he depended on him to bring him to his appointments, and be there if he needed a hand to squeeze or something.

So he figured it was probably a selfish thought to want to have him here for little moments like this too. Except this wasn't a little moment, at least not to Kakashi, and he was sure when he told Iruka that the other man would agree too.

"Am I being selfish?" Kakashi sighed, directing the question to his stomach. "Is it wrong of me to want him here all the time?"

He received another small kick in response and laughed. "Well I'm glad you're an obedient child who answers her Daddy's questions, but was that a yes or a no?"

"I can only assume it was a yes…" he decided after a few moments. "He spends a huge amount of time with us already, not to mention all the hours he works…it's a miracle he gets any time to spend with _that woman_ at all..."

"But that's not really fair of me," Kakashi sighed. "I'm sure she's a great person, I mean she would have to be to have someone as great as Iruka loving her."

"And unlike her, I'm not a good person. I've had to kill a countless amount of people…although to be fair, the same can be said for most shinobi. And when it counted I wasn't able to save those closest to me. Not to mention I use to drink and sleep around with a countless number of people. I would love them for one night and then break their hearts. You're daddy was kind of an asshole…"

"And then about 23 weeks ago, I seduced your other daddy, not caring whether he was married, single, engaged, it didn't matter to me. I was lonely and needed release, and that was all that was important. He was actually very hesitant and uncomfortable at first, and if I was a good person, then I would have walked away, and not force him into a situation he didn't want. Not that I raped him or anything, trust me, he wanted it too by the end of the night…not that I should be telling you this, but anyway, I shouldn't have pushed him into it, although in the end I'm glad I did. I wouldn't be having this conversation with you right now if I didn't."

"The point I'm trying to make is that Tsubaki is a good person that deserves someone like Iruka, and I don't…" Kakashi sighed, lying back down on his bed. Closing his eyes, and taking a few deep breaths before he could let his emotions get the better of him. "…not that I would want him even if I could have him." He said, quickly realizing what some of the things he said had been implying.

Iruka was a friend…a friend that happened to get him pregnant. And sure they had gotten closer over the past couple of months, but that was purely for Aiko's sake, and nothing more…

Kakashi felt another small kick when he said that, a sad smile appeared on his face. "I see you're already calling me out on my bullshit. Such a smart little girl you are. But it doesn't matter either way. If Tsubaki is half the woman she appears to be, she is likely to forgive Iruka for his mistake, and the two of them will live happily ever after. But I'm okay with that, you know why? Because me and you are going to live happily ever after too, right?"

He waited a few moments for a response, but all the movement he had been experiencing seemed to calm down. "I guess all daddy's ramblings put you back to sleep. I should be smart and follow suit. So sweet dreams little one, and I'll see you in the morning."

Kakashi switched off the lamp on his bedside table, and closed his eyes, hoping sleep would come quickly, but unfortunately his mind was too awake now, going over the conversation he just had with his unborn daughter.

"I'm such an idiot," he muttered, thinking about what he had just sort of admitted to himself. He sighed and had to wait for hours for sleep to finally claim him.

…

The next day Iruka came over to make dinner, which was something that was becoming increasingly often. It started off as something he did 1-2 times a week, but it was now up to at least 5. Something that Kakashi would never complain about, Iruka's cooking was way better then his own, not to mention this meant that they got to spend even more time with each other.

"How are you feeling? You look a little tired." Iruka asked after he finished cleaning up the mess he had made in the kitchen. He took a seat next to Kakashi on the living room couch, looking him over in concern.

"I'm fine…I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Aiko decided 3 a.m was a good time to start moving around and keep me awake." He said, only partially lying. Obviously not wanting to mention all the conflicting thoughts and emotions that really had kept him awake.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Iruka said, feeling the need to apologize every time Kakashi felt some ill effect of the pregnancy. He knew this was all standard stuff that came along with the territory, but still…he was the one that got him pregnant, so he felt at least partially responsible every time he got sick, or lost sleep, or had an emotional break down fueled by hormones, etc.

"Have you been keeping your daddy awake?" Iruka asked, placing a hand on the older man's abdomen, directing his question at the baby bump. "Your daddy needs his rest too, so he can continue to help you grow big and strong."

"And if you could also stop pressing on daddy's bladder, causing him to have to piss every 10 minutes, he would also appreciate that." Kakashi added on, causing Iruka to laugh.

"Keeping daddy awake, and making him have to pee? Aren't you the rebellious little one? We'll have to ground you soon if…" Iruka suddenly frozen midsentence, and looked up at the older man when he felt a small nudge. "Was that?"

"She's kicking." Kakashi smiled, placing his own hand on his stomach.

"Is this the first time?" Iruka asked in wonderment, a huge smile erupting when he felt another small nudge. Kakashi had told him about the fluttering feeling he sometimes got when she moved around, but it was never anything he could feel himself. So feeling his daughter move for the first time was an indescribable feeling.

"Actually, it was last night that she kicked for the first time." Kakashi answered, regretting his honesty when he saw the disappointed look on the other man's face.

"I wish I could have been there for that." Iruka answered, somewhat longingly.

This wasn't the first time he had felt that way. There were many occasions when Kakashi would tell him about something that happened with the pregnancy, and he wished he could have been there for it. Whether it was to experience it with the other man, or at least be there to support him if it was something unpleasant.

He wanted to be there to rub Kakashi's back when ever he got a wave of nausea and was getting sick…he wanted to be there to comfort him if his hormones ever got the better of him…he wanted to be there, not just after work, but at any point during the day or night so he could run out and get him whatever weird food that would satisfy his cravings.

And he wanted to be there for all the 'firsts' after the baby was born as well…first smile, first laugh, first words, first steps. The reality that he could potentially miss all those things was a hard thought to process.

"I'm sorry," Kakashi said, instead of what he really wanted to say, which was _I wish you were there too._

Iruka looked up at the other man, catching his one open eye with his own. Kakashi froze upon seeing the look, not quite able to read what he was thinking. It was clear he was disappointed about missing the first kick, but there was something else too…

Realization suddenly hit him, and he had to stop himself from gasping in surprise. Could that look in his eyes really be…but before he could over analyze the situation, his question was answered for him as Iruka slowly began leaning his face towards his own.

Kakashi could feel his heart rate pick up, along with his breathing. What was Iruka thinking? Where was this coming from? But he was running out of time to think about it, Iruka's lips now mere inches from his own.

Kakashi suddenly thought about some of the things he had said last night, about being a good person. If he really was a good person he would stop Iruka now, stop him from doing something he would regret, stop him from hurting Tsubaki again, and stop him from crossing this line that they might not be able to uncross, putting everything between them at risk. But fortunately for him he had already decided last night that he wasn't a good person.

He closed the remainder of the gap, pressing his lips gently against the younger man's. The feeling was incredible, and he felt a flutter erupt in his stomach, and couldn't tell if it was Aiko moving around, or if it was something else…

Iruka had been so overcome with emotion and his desire to be there for Kakashi and their child, that he hadn't even realized what he was doing until his face was mere inches from the copy-nin's. He froze when he realized what he had done, and began internally freaking out, thinking Kakashi was going to think he was insane…or possibly even be disgusted by his actions. Yet there had been some force that had kept him from pulling away.

He tensed up for a brief moment when Kakashi closed the gap between them, and brought their lips together. His initial thought was that Kakashi must not have realized what he was doing; that there was no way the silver-haired man would want to kiss him. He was Hatake Kakashi after all, the famous copy-nin, one of the strongest shinobi in the village…why would he want to kiss a nothing Chuunin like him?

But once he felt how relaxed the other man was, he figured it couldn't be a mistake, and relaxed into the kiss as well. He began to slowly moving his lips, Kakashi following his lead.

Iruka brought his hand up, placing it on the back of Kakashi's neck, pulling the older man even deeper into the kiss. Kakashi responded by placing one of his hands on Iruka's chest.

The pace of the kiss began slow but quickly picked up, and after a few moments, Kakashi parted his lips, giving the other man's tongue permission to enter. Iruka immediately obliged, slipping his tongue into Kakashi's mouth, until their tongues collided, and a fight for dominance began.

Kakashi put up a bit of a fight at first, being use to being the one in control, but it didn't take long for him to submit and let the younger man take the lead. He didn't know what it was about Iruka that made him so willing to give up the role of the dominant one, but he wasn't going to question it right now.

A feeling of euphoria began to spread throughout Kakashi's body, and he could no longer deny what he had been feeling. It had all started before Christmas, when the first of these foreign feelings appeared. He had initially shrugged them off as nothing more than over active hormones, and the desire not to have to raise a child alone. But then over the following weeks, those feelings began to grow, to deepen, and they had turned into an intense sense of longing…longing for Iruka, and a longing for a proper family.

He tried to suppress them the best he could, and continually denied them to himself. Hoping that by pretending they didn't exist then he wouldn't get hurt…he wouldn't be hurt by the fact that Iruka was with Tsubaki, or that they were getting married, or if they ever had children of their own. But in that moment, he could no longer deny the truth to himself. He wanted Iruka, he wanted him to be his in every way possible. He wanted him to end things with Tsubaki, and to move in with him. He wanted to be held by him every night, to make love to him whenever he wanted. He wanted him to be there and for them to raise their daughter together.

He may have only known him for a few months, but he was already so completely in love with him that it hurt. It was a scary thought, he had never opened his heart to someone like this before, the only one ever coming close was Rin, but they had been so young, and he was sure looking back now, that that love stemmed more from friendship.

He had hated being weak or being vulnerable in anyway, and for years pushed people away, not wanting to risk ever being hurt again. And in a short few months Iruka had unknowingly broken down his wall and completely shattered his resolve. He had given him hope and something to live for in the form of their daughter, and in turn gave him the ability to love, not to mention the desire to be loved.

It was all so overwhelming to think about, yet he found himself completely calm and content in that moment.

Iruka found himself deepening the kiss once again, gently guiding Kakashi so he was now lying down on the couch. He hovered slightly above the other man, not wanting to risk squishing the baby in anyway, but kept the lips attached, moving hungrily against each other's.

He hesitantly removed his hand from the back of the older man's neck, and let it begin exploring other parts of the copy-nin's body. His hand subconsciously went for the man's chest first, finding himself a little confused when he didn't feel the soft curve of a breast that he was so use to. But despite this, he found himself not minding how the firm flat chest felt under his hand, especially not when the movement of his hand caused the other man to emit a low moan.

The sound of the other man's moan sent a shock wave of arousal throughout his body, and he could feel his lower region begin to stir.

Kakashi found his arousal quickly hardening as well, especially when Iruka started running his hands over his chest. He hadn't told anybody this, not even Tsunade, but his chest had started to become increasingly sensitive over the course of the pregnancy, to the point that it almost became sore sometimes. He had been far too embarrassed to mention this to anyone. But now with Iruka stimulating the sensitive area, he couldn't help but moan at the sensation.

Kakashi took this opportunity to allow his hands to do some exploring of their own. He trailed them down Iruka's toned back, loving the feeling of hard muscles underneath his hand. That was one of the many things he preferred about being with another man as opposed to a woman, he preferred the feeling of toned flesh as opposed to soft curves.

Iruka felt Kakashi slip his hand underneath his shirt, and began running it up and down his bare back. Feeling the other man's hand on his bare flesh, caused a shockwave to shoot through him, making his entire body tingle. And before he could stop himself, he ground his hips down into the other mans, causing a loud moan to erupt from him.

Iruka was a little caught off guard by the feeling, never having felt another man's erection like that before. There had of course been the drunken night they had shared together, but so much of that had been so foggy in his mind, that he had forgotten many of the details…such as what it felt like to have another man's erection pressed against his own.

It may have been a strange feeling at first, but he couldn't say that it didn't feel good. It felt incredible, and was made so much better by the sounds it elicited from the man underneath him.

But it was in that moment that he became suddenly aware of the situation. Right now he was fooling around with another man…and unlike last time he didn't have alcohol as an excuse. He was 100% sober, and 100% in control of his actions, yet here he was…practically dry humping Kakashi. And yet it felt so good…so right…he couldn't even begin to comprehend what was going on with him. Was he really turned on by another man? Or was it because Kakashi was the person caring his child that caused this feeling?

Either way, the fact was he was being unfaithful to Tsubaki yet again. Hurting the woman he loved, with out her even knowing it. This caused an intense guilt to bubble up in his chest, causing him to suddenly pull away from Kakashi.

"Iruka?" Kakashi asked between pants, obviously confused by his action. The look the older man gave him caused his stomach to give another flip, and he had a strong urge to reattach their lips and continue what they had been doing.

But then the image of Tsubaki home alone, mostly likely waiting for his return, popped into his mind, and he was on his feet before he knew what he was doing.

He gave Kakashi one last look, hoping to convey how sorry he was, before he quickly made his way out the door.

He heard Kakashi call out his name before he shut the door behind him, quickly disappearing into the night.

The silver-haired man now sat alone in his living room, still attempting to catch his breath. What the hell had just happened? Why had Iruka initiated a kiss? And then why did he suddenly stop? Did he realize he was with another man and became disgusted by the thought? Was it because he was pregnant, and therefore unattractive to him? But he had felt his arousal…

Or was it because of Tsubaki? That answer seemed to be the most logical, and he figured he would probably have conflicting emotions himself if he was in the other man's shoes…

But having an understanding for the other man's situation did little to ease the hurt and humiliation he felt in that moment. He had let himself get so caught up in the moment, even opening his mind and heart to his true feelings. He had allowed himself to dream of, and hope for a future with the other man…he realized now just how foolish that had been.

Of course Iruka could never return his feelings…he was a heterosexual man with a gorgeous and kind fiancée. Why would he ever love him? He was a man…a pregnant man…soon to be the joke of the entire village.

But even before that had happened, and he was just regular old Kakashi Hatake, there was still not a single reason he could think of why the other man might love him. He had been a cold, calculating, borderline drunk…he had treated everyone around him like they were a complete nuisance. It was a miracle he had any friends at all…and couldn't help but think the idea that someone might actually fall in love with him was ridiculous.

"Why would anyone want me…" He muttered out loud, feeling his humiliation and pain begin to overwhelm him. This was the second time Iruka had left him without explanation after being intimate. He felt like a complete fool for letting it happen again. He could already feel the tears stinging his eyes, and he so badly wanted to shout out in frustration.

"I'm such an idiot." He felt a small kick, his hand flying to his stomach, before cracking a sad smile. "You think so too, huh?"

He sighed, rubbing his abdomen, "I think I can live with it though, as long as you love me Aiko."

…

Iruka had no idea how long he was wandering through the village, his mind playing the events of the night over and over in his head. What the hell had he done? What had he been thinking? How could he have done that to Tsubaki? How could he have done that to Kakashi? And most importantly, why the hell had it felt so good?

Every time he closed his eyes and let himself remember the moment they just shared, his stomach gave an unwanted flip, making it impossible to deny that he had enjoyed it. The whole thing was so frustrating and confusing, and he had no idea what he was suppose to do.

It didn't take long for him to end up back at his own apartment, letting out a defeated sigh before quietly opening the door. He would have stayed out all night if he could've, wanting to avoid the shame he would feel when he saw Tsubaki. But he knew if he did stay out all night that would just cause even more questions from her, questions he didn't want to have to answer.

He prayed she was asleep, as he gently closed and locked the door behind him. He was about to tip toe through the living room, when a light was suddenly flicked on. So much for her being asleep…

"Welcome home love," she greeted, with as much love in her voice as she always did, which caused his gut to wrench with guilt. "Is _Kakashi_ feeling any better?"

Iruka thought he detected something weird in the way she said the Jounin's name, but quickly shrugged it off. He wanted nothing more then to bolt from the room at that moment, wanting to avoid this situation at all costs. But when that thought had crossed his mind, he felt even guiltier then he had before.

It was getting harder and harder to lie to her, so a couple of weeks ago, Iruka had decided to tell her a partial truth. He had been running out of excuses to go see the other man, so he told her about how he had been going to see Kakashi. He had mentioned that he was sick, which she easily believed after seeing him that time before Christmas…not to mention she heard the rumors circulating around the village about the copy-nin's extended leave of absence. Iruka had told her that Kakashi didn't have many friends, and no family, both of which weren't really lies, and that he had no one to help look after him.

The story had completely broken Tsubaki's heart, and she completely understood Iruka wanting to help him out. She even went so far as to offer dropping in on him herself whenever Iruka was at work…or even having the copy-nin come stay with them while he was under the weather.

Tsubaki's kindness had only made Iruka feel even worse about deceiving her, and wished he were enough of a man to be honest and tell her the truth. To tell her about how he cheated on her, and how it resulted in a miracle pregnancy.

"He's doing a little better," he answered instead, disgusted with himself for how much of a coward he really was.

"I'm so glad to hear that." She said, her tone unreadable. She took the few steps across the room, and wrapped her arms around her fiancée. "Everything will be alright." She said gently, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

And those words, and that sweet gesture, were what finally broke Iruka's resolve. He broke down in tears, barely able to breathe. Tsubaki was a little shocked, but held the man even tighter in her arms, knowing he had been under a lot of pressure lately.

But Iruka's breakdown was caused by all his guilt and confusion that had been building up inside of him…and what had pushed him over the edge was the sweet, loving kiss Tsubaki had just placed on his lips…and how her lips didn't feel quite right anymore…unlike his…

 **A/N: Thoughts? I hope that this didn't seem too rushed. Like I said in the other author's note, I was contemplating adding another chapter in, to build up thing between Iruka and Kakashi a little more, but I thought that anything I wrote would probably end up feeling forced and not really fit in.**

 **Anyway, I hoped you enjoy, and if anybody is confused about Tsubaki in this chapter, any questions will be answered next chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I appreciate it. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I would love to hear what you think XD**

…

"Can I get you anything? Maybe some tea?" Tsubaki asked kindly, putting her hand gently on her fiancées shoulder. He was currently sitting in front of the living room window, staring blankly out of it. This had been a fairly common sight over the last two days and she had no idea what to do about it.

She had tried giving him his space, but that ended up accomplishing absolutely nothing. Then she tried talking to him, urging him to confide in her, but that just ended in a lot of silence and unreadable looks. And then she tried sitting beside him silently, thinking that this way she could be there for him, but not push him to talk about anything he wasn't ready to talk about…but that again accomplished nothing.

She was becoming more and more frustrated with his behavior, and constantly found herself having to hold herself back. She had discovered something a couple of weeks ago, something that broke her heart, something that had made her sick to her stomach, something that had made her want to confront Iruka immediately, but she had held back.

A couple of weeks ago, she had received a message one evening that Iruka had been admitted into the hospital. Something about a sparring match that result in him breaking his jaw…she had no idea how that could've occurred, seeing as he should have been having dinner with his 'sick friend Kakashi', but she hadn't thought too much about it at that moment, her concern for her fiancée outweighing any questions.

She arrived at the hospital not long after, one of the medical-nins leading her to the appropriate waiting room, when she spotted him. Kakashi was already there, and he wasn't alone. The two seemed to be pretty deep in conversation at that moment, and neither seemed to notice her arrival. She knew it was wrong, and that she should just clear her throat and alert them to her presence. But then she had heard Iruka's name being spoken, and she couldn't help but conceal herself around the corner and listen in. If anything she was hoping to learn what exactly had happened to cause her fiancée to break his jaw…

And that's when she heard it. At first she thought it was some sort of sick joke, and there was no way in hell it could possibly be true. But then she listened to Kakashi's explanation, and he sounded so genuine when he spoke…all the pieces from the past few months began to fall into place in that moment, and everything began to make sense. Iruka's odd behavior…the distance that had been growing between them…the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that he was keeping something from her, it all fit.

She had felt like she couldn't breath, and wondered briefly if it was possible for someone to literally drop dead of a broken heart. Tears had begun pouring from her eyes, and she was seconds away from making her presence known, when she caught another piece of their conversation…

Kakashi had assured the other man that their was nothing going on between him and Iruka, when the other man had asked him how long they had been together.

Hearing this caused her to freeze, and second-guess making any sort of scene. Instead she turned around and ran out of the hospital before either of them spotted her. She had run all the way home, locking herself in her room, allowing herself to cry, scream into her pillow, and break a few small unimportant items of Iruka's.

And once she had finally calmed down enough, she had let Kakashi's words come back to her. Even though Iruka had obviously cheated on her…and with a man no less…Kakashi said himself that they weren't together, and seeing as he didn't seem to realize she was listening, she had no reason to doubt that this was true.

Even though she was still incredibly hurt, this managed to bring her a small amount of relief. She figured that despite the mistake he made…the horrible, unthinkable, gut-wrenching mistake…that he still must love her. Why else would he still be with her? Why else was he obviously hiding this from her? He didn't want to hurt her because he still loved her.

And no matter how much she might resent him for this, for what he had done, and for lying about it, the fact was that she still loved him too. And if there was even the slightest opportunity that she could save what they had, then she would do it…no matter the cost.

So when Iruka came home that night, his face heavily bandaged, she pretended to buy his flimsy excuse as to what happened. And tried her best to keep any signs off her face that might betray the fact that she had learned the truth. Despite wanting to confront him more than anything, she wanted to wait to see what happened, what he would do.

Would he eventually come clean? How long did he plan on waiting to tell her the truth? Until the baby was born? Longer? Would he tell her at all?

Depending on how long it took him to tell her, she would consider confronting him eventually, but for now she had wanted to sit back and observe. She wanted to see what he would do, how he would act, and determine if there was even a relationship to be saved.

That was now a couple of weeks ago, and just like she had assumed, he had yet to tell her. And if anything, he seemed to have gotten even more distant, spending even more time with 'his sick friend Kakashi'. And then two days ago when he came home and had that complete break down…she was beginning to get a bad feeling about all of this. But she sighed; she wasn't ready to give up, at least not yet.

"I'm fine, thank you." Iruka finally answered after a few moments, keeping his eyes fixed out the window.

He could sense her presence linger for a few moments, getting a very tense, frustrated vibe from her…not that he could blame her. She finally left the room, leaving Iruka alone with his thoughts once more.

The last two days had probably been two of the most difficult days he had ever experienced in his life. And coming from a shinobi, any shinobi, that was saying a lot. He had so many conflicting emotions battling against each other that he felt like an actual war was raging inside of him.

There was guilt. Guilt for cheating on Tsubaki…and then guilt for lying to her about it…not to mention guilt for keeping the not so little secret about the fact that the person he cheated on her with was now expecting his child.

But his guilt didn't stop there. He also felt extremely guilty for how he left things with Kakashi the other day. He could only imagine what the other man must've felt after he left. And it nearly killed him to think about how much he might have hurt him.

Then there was confusion and desire. He desired to be with Kakashi constantly, to stand by him through anything he might be facing. But that wasn't the only way he desired Kakashi…there was just something about him that pulled him in and made him want him in everyway possible, both emotionally and physically.

Which is where the confusion came in. How could he go through 23 years of his life having absolutely no desire to be with another man, being completely content with his very female fiancée, to all of a sudden wanting nothing more than to rip Kakashi's clothes off and have his way with him? Why couldn't he forget about the night they had together months ago? Why had his body reacted so strongly when he and Kakashi fooled around the other day?

Did that make him gay? Even though he had no desire to be with any other man? Did it even matter to him? Because when he really thought about it, the fact was, it wasn't only that he didn't want to be with any other man…he didn't want to be with anybody else period.

That thought caused his head to spin, and his stomach to give an uncomfortable lurch. Could that really be true? Did he really want to be with Kakashi instead of Tsubaki? Tsubaki, the woman he had been with and loved for over 5 years…the woman he had wanted to spend his life with up until a few months ago…the woman he would've gladly given his life for?

He groaned in frustration, feeling an overwhelming urge to break something.

He knew he still cared deeply for Tsubaki, and couldn't quite wrap his mind around the idea of walking away from her and breaking her heart…but then there was Kakashi…somebody he had grown so close to in such a sort period of time. Somebody he had a strong desire to be with. Not too mention the fact that he was going to bring his child into the world.

Which caused another emotion to wash over him…worry. He hadn't seen the other man in two days, and prayed he was looking after himself, or in the very least that somebody had went and checked in on him. Between Kushina, Minato, Tsunade, and now Gai, Kakashi usually got at least one other visitor other then himself a day, so he was sure he was fine. Still, he felt a strong urge to go and at least check in on the other man to make sure he was all right, but he sighed, pushing the thought away. He wasn't ready to face him yet, not while his mind was so clouded in confusion.

"I'm so sorry…" he muttered under his breath to the empty room, leaning his head against the glass of the window, once again getting lost in his thoughts.

…

Kakashi felt his stomach give an audible growl, but tried his best to ignore it; he no longer had the energy to get off the couch.

The last two days had been long and exhausting, having experienced a rollercoaster of emotions.

He had initially felt humiliated, heartbroken, and completely stupid for what happened. Cursing himself for allowing his emotions to get the better of him, and allowing somebody into his life only to hurt him.

And then he had felt angry. Angry at himself for letting his guard down, but also angry at Iruka for getting his hopes up. After all he didn't force Iruka to sleep with him on his birthday…and he didn't force Iruka to try and be in their child's life. In fact he had given him several opportunities to walk away! And he didn't force Iruka to initiate the moment between them the other day. Iruka had made all those choices himself…and he made them knowing that he still loved his fiancée and that things would never go anywhere between them. It almost felt like he had purposely played some awful trick on him.

That thought caused a small pang of guilt for thinking so poorly of the other man, knowing that he would never do something so cruel on purpose. He was a good man…a naïve idiot who had no idea what he wanted…but a good man nonetheless. And he tried to muster up a certain level of understanding, but he found himself struggling with that.

His stomach gave another audible growl, Kakashi bringing his hand to his swollen abdomen, rubbing a few gentle circles on it.

"I know we're hungry, I promise well go get something soon." Kakashi said soothingly, but had no real energy to do so. The truth was that he hadn't bought any groceries in weeks, never seeing the need to, because Iruka had been bringing him food.

He had been too nervous to go out to the market, knowing the moment he was seen in public his secret would officially be out, because there was no hiding his abdomen anymore. He hadn't thought it was too much of an issue, confident that somebody would drop by so he could just get them to go get him something.

He knew Minato had been extra busy with some of his duties, and he was pretty sure Gai was on a mission, but still, he had been sure that either Tsunade or Kushina would drop by…although since Iruka had been coming around more, their visits had become less frequent, but he remained hopeful.

He had assumed in the very least Iruka would come back to apologize…hopefully with cookies or something else edible as a peace offering.

But much to his disappointment that didn't happen either, and after the first day of holding out hope and waiting he had quickly lost a lot of energy. With almost all of his chakra tied up supporting Aiko and her growth, his body had to rely solely on food for any sort of energy for himself, and after nearly two days with nothing to eat, that energy was drying up quick.

He cursed himself for being so stupid, and allowing his pride to get the better of him. Why did he care so much if people found out? It was going to happen eventually, and it wasn't like he hadn't had time to mentally prepare for it. And he wasn't even ashamed of the fact that he was pregnant, because if he were to be ashamed about that, then it would be like he was ashamed of Aiko and her existence. And that couldn't have been further from the truth. He loved the little girl growing inside of him more than anything.

He had just wanted to hold on to the small amount of normalcy he had remaining in his life. He had already gone through so many life-altering experiences these past few months, he had just wanted to avoid his life becoming even harder and more chaotic for as long as he could.

But now he realized just how stupid that was… he could be putting his daughter at risk because of his own pathetic selfish desire. What would people say if they found out he had been practically starving himself and his unborn child simply because he was afraid to go outside and be seen? What would Iruka think? That thought caused and unwelcome wave of nausea to hit him, but he tried to suppress it, trying to convince himself that he didn't care what the younger man thought.

He mustered up all his strength to get to his feet, taking a moment to steady himself as a bout of dizziness hit him. He was afraid he would pass out, but the feeling eventually passed.

He hated himself for letting it get to this point because of his own selfishness and fears, and he also hated that he let himself depend so heavily on others over the past few months. He had never depended on others in the past, and he had gotten through life just fine…it may not have been the happiest of lives, but he had managed.

But now he had let himself get weak and had grown to depend too heavily on others, when he needed to be stronger then he had ever been before in his life. It wasn't just his life in his hands now, Aiko was depending on him, and he had let her down.

"I'm sorry little girl. I promise daddy will never do something so stupid again." He said barely above a whisper, placing his hand on his stomach as it gave another audible growl. "Don't worry, we're going now, and I'll get you all the food you could possibly imagine."

He grabbed as much cash as he could carry, quickly slipping his mask up, before walking out the door, not even bothering to put on a sweater or something else that might conceal his abdomen. People were going to notice no matter what he wore, so screw it; he figured he might as well really give them something to gawk at.

…

He quickly regretted the decision he had made before leaving the house and would've given anything for his sweater. It wouldn't have concealed his abdomen completely, but it might have prevented a few people from noticing…and man were they noticing.

The voices filling the air around him seemed to quickly die out when people saw him coming. An eerie silence hung in the air, and almost nothing could be heard other then a few shocked gasps and hushed whispers.

There had been rumors going around that the copy-nin was gravely ill and was bed ridden…others had heard that he already died weeks ago, but they were keeping the news hush hush…but no matter what rumor each of them had heard, nobody had been expecting this.

Kakashi, however, expected this reaction exactly, and could feel countless sets of eyes on him. Their looks ranged from shock, to confusion, to indifference, to amusement, to disgust.

He took a few calming breaths, once he felt his face begin to heat up, and tried to remind himself why he was there. He was there for Aiko, she needed him to eat, and she needed it now.

He continued walking, trying to ignore every one around him, reminding himself that their opinions didn't matter. But when you had over active hormones rushing through your veins, it was hard to ignore some of the comments.

" _Is this some kind of joke?"_

" _Is he making fun of us? Does he think we're idiots?"_

" _Is he making fun of women? What an asshole…"_

" _Wait…is the copy-nin a woman? Where are her tits?"_

" _He sure has a sick sense of humor…"_

" _How can he be pregnant? That's just wrong!"_

" _Disgusting…"_

" _How did he go from the hero of Konoha, to that…it's pathetic."_

" _I'm not surprised he's a fag…but I didn't know he was a freak as well."_

The comment's seemed to get louder and crueler as he kept walking. He had prepared himself for a few insults and glares, but he hadn't expected almost everyone to have something to say.

He had managed to keep his emotions in check so far, not wanting to give them even more to judge him for, but he could quickly feel his resolve slipping. He wished so badly that somebody was there with him, to support him, but then quickly shook that thought off. Him depending on people is what got him into this mess in the first place, and he had to prove to himself that he could stand on his own two feet again, that he could support Aiko on his own, that he could meet all her needs without anybody else's help.

So he picked up his pace, hoping the faster he moved, the fewer comments he would hear…but that seemed to back fire. If anything it just increased people's insults, making fun of his attempt at running.

He sighed, slowing his pace again. The energy it took for him to keep up any sort of speed just wasn't worth it, and he could feel himself grow even more tired and weak by the minute.

He considered stopping and taking a short rest on a near by bench, but could already feel all the eyes on him in that area, and shuddered to imagine some of the things he might overhear if he chose to linger in any one place. Plus the market was now in view, and his desire for food outweighed his desire for rest.

As he approached the market he heard a few ' _man the copy-nin got fat, no wonder he seems so desperate to get to the market for more food'_ but at that point he no longer cared. Salvation was in sight, and it couldn't come soon enough.

He lined up at the closest stand, not even caring what they were selling, when a strong wave of dizziness hit him hard.

"Shit, shit, shit…just a couple of seconds longer." He muttered quietly to himself, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths, willing the sensation to pass. He waited for a few moments, but began to fear it was a losing battle.

He felt him self quickly get nauseated, although he knew nothing would come up, and could feel his vision begin to blur.

The situation wasn't helped by the fact that people were now gathering around him, pointing at him as they continued to whisper things to each other. He could no longer hear what they were saying though, and could feel his legs begin to wobble.

"Kakashi?" he thought he heard a familiar voice shout, but couldn't be sure at this point, everyone's face and voices had begun to blur together. "Holy shit, Kakashi!"

His legs finally gave out from underneath him, but instead of hitting the ground like he had expected, he felt himself being held up instead. He could swear the person was calling out his name, but he couldn't hear or see them properly at this point. But before his vision went completely black, a small amount of comfort was brought to him when his nose was overwhelmed by the familiar scent of cigarettes.

…

The streets of Konoha were alive with gossip, everybody talking about what had just happened. After weeks of not being seen, the village's most famous ninja makes the strangest, most unexpected appearance.

Various rumors emerged almost immediately…ranging from this all being a huge joke, to some kind of stomach cancer, to him deciding to quit life as a shinobi and deciding to get fat, to the truth…that some how, despite it being physically impossible, he had gotten pregnant.

The people in the market were even more a buzz, witnessing the great Kakashi Hatake looking so weak, before he completely passed out. They were all at a loss about what was happening and what they should do, and were relieved when the other ninja showed up when they did.

As business slowly began to pick back up, and things seemed to return to normal, there was still one individual contemplating everything she had just seen.

This was almost to good to be true, she smirked, and with the copy-nin weakened it would make their job a whole lot easier.

That's when she spotted something else that peaked her interest. Standing a few feet away, obviously also witnessing the scene was a familiar face. Over the course of her surveillance she recognized her as Tsubaki, the fiancée of the man that had impregnated the copy ninja.

She looked absolutely upset, borderline heartbroken, which caused another smirk to light up her face.

This gave her an idea…if she played her cards right, she might be able to use this woman and her broken heart to her advantage. She couldn't wait to meet up with her partner again and tell him of this latest development.

…

 **A/N: There you have it! That answered any questions anybody had as to whether it was Tsubaki who over heard or not. I hope you enjoyed and can't wait to hear what you think. More should be up soon! :D**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last one, I appreciate it XD This chapter is a little bit longer than usual, so I hope you will enjoy the added length!**

Kakashi could feel himself slowly slip back in to consciousness, hearing many voice around him, speaking far too loudly for what he was sure was a hospital room. He kept his eyes firmly shut though, curious about what they were saying once he heard his name come up.

"What do you mean he had low blood sugar?" A voice he recognized as Minato's asked.

"It appears he hasn't eaten anything in at least a day or two." Tsunade said, sighing.

"What the hell was he thinking!?" That high-pitched shriek definitely belonged to Kushina.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but does somebody want to tell us what's going on here? We're still really confused." That sounded like Asuma…why was he here? Then he remembered the smell of cigarettes from the person that had caught him as he was passing out.

"Yeah, is he really pregnant? How is that possible?" And of course where Asuma was Kurenai was as well.

Kakashi felt his head begin to pound, and wanted nothing more then to slip back into unconsciousness so he didn't have to deal with this situation, but since that didn't seem like it was going to happen anytime soon, he figured he might as well make his consciousness known.

"Who thought throwing a party in my hospital room was a good idea?" Kakashi asked, getting the 5 people in the rooms attention. He slowly opened his eyes, taking a moment for them to adjust to the brightness of the lights.

"Kakashi!" Kushina cried, making her way over to the man's bedside.

"How are you feeling?" Tsunade asked, giving his vitals a quick check over.

"Tired…" He sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"Well I should say so! Could you please explain to me why you haven't eaten anything in days?!" Kushina practically screeched, beyond frustrated with his behavior. But her rage quickly calmed down when he saw the sad look on his face, before he turned over so that his back was now facing the rest of them.

He didn't want them to see him get upset, but as he remembered everything that had happened up to that moment, his emotions seemed to get the better of him…he swore these damn hormones were going to be the death of him.

They all saw his back begin to shake, and heard him trying to conceal his sobs. They all exchanged a sad look, before Tsunade, Asuma, and Kurenai silently excused themselves, leaving the copy-nin alone with Minato and Kushina.

Kushina took a seat next to him on the bed, placing her hand on his back to rub soothing circles. She had no idea what was going on with him, but she had learned from all her years of friendship with him, that it was best not to push him. She would just do what she could to comfort him, and be there to listen to him when he was ready to talk.

Kakashi could've just died of embarrassment in that moment, hating the fact that he had broken down in front of so many people.

In fact there was a lot he hated about the situation. He hated the fact that he had let himself grow so dependent on people, he hated the fact that he had been selfish enough to deny himself and his child food for nearly two days, he hated the fact that he had opened his heart up to the idea of being with Iruka, and he hated the fact that he let himself be hurt. And finally he hated the fact that he couldn't do anything about it.

"I'm sorry," He mumbled once he felt he could keep his voice even.

"You don't need to apologize sweetheart." Kushina said gently, continuing to rub his back. Minato stayed back and observed, smiling about how gentle his wife could be when she wanted to…especially considering how terrifying she could also be. But Minato stayed silent, knowing that if he said anything, he would only embarrass Kakashi more then he probably already was.

"Yes I do. I'm such an idiot…" Kakashi hissed, biting his lip to keep himself from crying out in frustration.

"You're not…" Kushina began but was quickly cut off.

"Yes, I am! I allowed myself to get complacent! I allowed myself to depend too much on people! I allowed my own feelings and selfishness to put my daughter in harms way. Don't you dare tell me I'm not an idiot!" Kakashi shouted to the wall he was still facing, allowing angry tears to sting his eyes again.

"You're right, you are an idiot…" Kushina said calmly, feeling the Jounin tense under her hand. "But not for the reasons you think. You're an idiot because you think you're an idiot for allowing yourself to be human! Humans make mistakes! Humans are supposed to be able to depend on each other! And human's are sometimes selfish and have crazy feelings or emotions that they can't control or explain. It's all part of being a person Kakashi! You let yourself close off your mind and heart for so long to your own feelings and to the people around you, that you became like a robot! Just going through the motions of life, but not really living. But these past few months you came alive again! You had a light in your eyes…you were happy! And now you're going to sit there and call yourself an idiot for being a normal human being? You owe it to yourself, and to your daughter, to not allow yourself to go down that road again!" Kushina finished, her voice steadily rising through out her speech; feeling tears of her own stinging her eyes in frustration.

Kakashi completely stilled, allowing her words to sink in. Was she right? Was he really being an idiot? But he had allowed himself to get hurt…and he could have caused harm to Aiko…if that was being human, maybe he didn't want to be one. He sighed, finally allowing himself to turn around, facing the woman sitting beside him.

He wasn't sure what he should say in that moment, he had no words to get across what he was feeling…at least not words she would want to hear. So he just placed his hand on hers and gave it a tight squeeze, hoping that that would be enough for now. She accepted the gesture, giving his hand a tight squeeze back.

After a few moments of silence, Kushina spoke again. "Now I want you to get some rest, so we can get you healthy again and out of here as soon as possible. Me and Minato can take care of the packing if you'd like."

"What packing?" Kakashi asked confused.

"If you think you're going to continue to live alone then you really are an idiot. You are going to move in with us until the baby is born."

"But…"

"That wasn't just a suggestion." Kushina said with far too much cheer in her voice, it was almost frightening…not to mention she began crushing the hand that she had still been holding. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

Kakashi looked up at Minato, silently asking for help, but he just raised his hands, not wanting to get in the middle of this. "I wouldn't argue with her."

Kakashi sighed, rolling his eyes. He had been living on his own since he was 8 years old, so it would be weird to move into a house with three other people. He really didn't want to have to resort to that, but he knew better then to argue with Kushina when she was like this. Not to mention, as much as he hated to admit it, it would be nice to have the help. He was struggling more and more to do the simplest things, and grew tired far too quickly. And if he could avoid going out in public as much as he could, avoiding the glares and snide comments, he would like that. Plus it would be good practice…in a few short months he would no longer be living alone.

And as much as he didn't want to let himself get weak again by relying too much on anyone, he figured that as long as it was what was best for Aiko he would be able to live with it.

"Fine…" Kakashi reluctantly agreed, causing Kushina to loosen her iron grip.

"I'm so happy to hear that!" Kushina beamed, giving the silver-haired man a quick kiss on the forehead, before jumping up from the bed. "So what would you like packed for you? Just you're clothes?"

"Yeah, I shouldn't need much more then that…maybe a few of my books. Plus all my vitamins and any toiletries you think I might need…" Kakashi said, trying to think of anything else.

"Alright." Kushina nodded in understanding. "Now get some rest."

Kakashi nodded, feeling just how tired he really was. Kushina and Minato turned to leave when a sudden thought crossed his mind.

"Oh, and whatever you do, don't open my bedside table drawer! Or look under my mattress…" The copy-nin said, blushing slightly under his mask.

The married couple exchanged an amused look before nodding and leaving the room.

…

Tsubaki returned home, the events of the afternoon still weighing heavily on her mind.

The minute she had seen Kakashi at the market she had nearly lost it. She was moments away from approaching him and making what she sure would have been one hell of a scene.

But instead he had to go and pass out on her, taking away any opportunity she had. The sight had made her angry, causing her to want to scream in frustration, because despite everything, she still felt bad for the silver-haired man. He looked so weak, sick…and before he passed out she heard some of the things being said to him…they were cruel. And despite how angry she wanted to be at the man, how much she wanted to hate him, all she could manage to feel was pity, and it wasn't fair.

She sighed, opening the door to the apartment, instantly spotting Iruka in the exact same spot she had left him. It didn't surprise her, not considering the way he had been acting the last few days. But the sight annoyed her more than it usually did in that moment.

 _She_ was the one that had been hurt, _she_ was the one he betrayed, what right did he have to mope around the house like he was the only one with any right to be upset? Just like with Kakashi at the market, it wasn't fair.

What Iruka did to her wasn't fair, the fact that he lied to her wasn't fair, and him pulling away from her now wasn't fair. She had tried hard to make this easier on him, so she didn't end up hurting him or making the situation worse, so she kept quiet. But what did she get in return…other than the cold shoulder? Absolutely nothing…and if he didn't care enough to make an effort, then she wasn't going to continue trying either.

She snapped in that moment, and no longer cared about being delicate of the situation or not, she needed him to talk, and she needed it now.

"We need to talk." She snapped, the moment she walked into the door, not even sparing her fiancée a proper greeting.

"What's wrong?" Iruka asked, confused. He could see that she was visibly upset, and couldn't imagine what had happened at the market to cause such a change in her mood.

"I need you to tell me about Kakashi." She said bluntly, crossing her arms across her chest to stop them from shaking in anger. She could see a flash of fear and uncertainty across her fiancée's face, before he tried to replace it with a more neutral look. But he wasn't fooling her, not even a little bit.

"I don't know what you're…" He began, but was quickly cut off.

"Don't you dare lie to me! Not anymore." She snapped, silencing his denial.

"Tsubaki…"

"You've been keeping something from me for months now, don't think I haven't noticed. But I was prepared to give you the time and space you needed until you were ready to talk to me about it, but I realize now if I left it up to you, then that would probably never happen. I think you owe it too me to tell me what the hell is going on."

It became clear that something must've happened…did she find out somehow? Kakashi wouldn't have told her, would he? And if she did find something out, was it the whole truth, or just part of it?

"What happened…who did you talk to?" He asked, hesitantly, but quickly regretted his choice of words, when a look of anger and annoyance appeared on her face.

"You can't even tell me the truth when I've backed you into a corner…" Tsubaki let out a bitter laugh, feeling a pang of sadness amongst her anger. "I didn't want to think the worst of you…I didn't want to think that you could ever hurt me. But the more you try and dodge my questions the worse I believe the situation is." She paused for a moment, allowing a thick silence to fill the room as she looked up at the brunette man. "I know Kakashi is pregnant."

Iruka instantly froze, his heart rate picking up dramatically, and he had to remind himself to breath. Was this really it? The moment he had been dreading for months now?

"I…how…" He stumbled over his words, not able to piece together a coherent thought.

"I over heard Kakashi talking to some man a couple of weeks ago when you were checked into the hospital. And then I saw him again just now at the market." She said simply, causing his look of nervousness and fear to be replaced with one of concern.

"He was at the market? Was he alone?" He couldn't imagine the copy-nin actually going out in public unless he absolutely had to, which caused a huge wave of concern to wash over him.

"He was…at first…" Tsubaki answered slowly. She wasn't sure if she should continue. She wanted to finish their conversation and finally find out the truth. If she were to tell him what happened then this conversation wasn't likely to continue. But then she remembered how weak and sick the silver-haired man had looked…what if something was seriously wrong with him? What if something happened to the child, and Iruka wasn't there because she concealed the truth? As much as she wanted to lie, and finish this conversation, the worried look in his eyes was too much to take. "He passed out, but Asuma-san and Kurenai-san were there and most likely took him to the hospital."

"Shit…" Iruka mumbled, quickly rushing out of the living room, only to return in a matter of seconds, completely dressed to go out. "I have to go."

"Wait! We're not finished here!" She cried out, but knew it was useless; Iruka was already half way out the door. And now that he knew his child could be in danger, she knew there was no stopping him. She understood, but it still broke her heart.

"I know you're the father!" She screamed out, angry tears now trailing down her face.

Iruka froze for a moment, wanting to turn around and come up with some sort of excuse, but all he could think about in that moment was Kakashi lying in a hospital bed, so he just closed the door behind him without saying anything. Trying his best to block out the pained cries he could hear coming from inside, before jumping up on the roof, and then out of sight.

Tsubaki fell to the floor, finally allowing all the pent up emotions she had been feeling for the last couple of weeks to crash down on her all at once, and she felt like she couldn't breathe.

How could things go so wrong? A few months ago they were planning their wedding, and couldn't have been any happier. But now…now her fiancée had left her broken and crying on the floor as he rushed off to see the man he had cheated on her with…the man that he had gotten pregnant.

It hurt so much, and for the briefest moment a thought crossed her mind, one that she had been determined to ignore.

Back at the market, after witnessing Kakashi collapse, a woman had approached her. She had brown hair, and looked to be wearing some sort of medical-nin uniform. The whole thing had been very strange, and after the woman had finished talking to her and left, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Even though the woman was just claiming to want to help her, there seemed to be something off about it all.

But now, feeling as her heart literally broke into pieces, she couldn't help but actually consider what the woman had said, and how it might not be that ridiculous of an option after all.

" _I could make him forget,"_ she had told her, _"I could make Kakashi completely forget about Iruka, and the fact that he is his child's father. It won't cause any harm to the child, and it would mean that you and Iruka could go back to normal. It would be like this whole thing never happened."_

…

Iruka arrived at the hospital, not long after, in a complete panic. His concern for Kakashi was almost crippling, and he could barely find his way through the maze of hallways. He finally came across some familiar faces and knew he must be close. He saw Tsunade, Asuma and Kurenai talking in one of the waiting rooms. He could see the slightly confused looks on both Asuma and Kurenai's faces and could only assume that Tsuande must be explaining some of the details of Kakashi's condition to them.

"Lady Tsunade!" Iruka called out, as he ran up to the trio. He normally would've hated to be rude and interrupt, but he needed to know what was going on, and now, before the terror and worry consumed him.

"Oh, Iruka, I was wondering when I would be seeing you." Tsunade said, seeing the panicked look on the young man's face. His eyes were asking all the questions that his mind was having trouble formulating, and she figured she would attempt to put his mind at ease. "They are both alright."

Those four words were all it took to ease some of his panic and calm some of his nerves, but his concern remained strong.

"What happened?" Iruka asked, already having a good idea what had happened, but still needing to hear it first hand. Tsunade willingly gave him the details of Kakashi's condition, which only confirmed his fears. This was his fault…

Of course Kakashi wouldn't have any food in his apartment, why would he when Iruka had been bringing him everything for weeks? And of course he would've been apprehensive about going to the market. Kakashi had depended on him and he let him down. Iruka wanted to cry, or scream, or destroy something in that moment…he couldn't believe he had been so selfish.

"Can I go see him?" Iruka asked hesitantly, not sure if he was ready yet to see the other man or not after what happened, but he needed to see for himself that he was okay.

"Of course, go ahead," Tsunade said, gesturing to a nearby door. Iruka nodded in appreciation, ignoring the confused looks on the two Jounin's faces. He was sure Tsunade would explain the situation to them.

He walked swiftly to the door, but froze with his hand on the doorknob. He had no idea what he was going to do or say when he saw the other man. His conflicting feelings about Kakashi and Tsubaki were nowhere near resolved. But his concern for Kakashi and their baby wouldn't be lessened until he saw for himself that they were all right. So he took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm his nerves before turning the knob and entering the room.

The room was fairly dark, the lights no doubt being dimmed to allow Kakashi to rest. It took Iruka a few seconds to adjust to the room's lighting, but once his eyes had gotten adjusted he could see the still form of Kakashi lying on the bed.

He appeared to be sleeping, so he hesitantly took a few steps across the room, so he could get a better look at the silver-haired man. He was definitely sleeping, and it broke Iruka's heart just to see how absolutely pale and exhausted he really looked.

He looked up to see the other man was hooked up to an IV, causing a pang of guilt to shoot through him. He must have been dehydrated and in need of nutrients…and it was all his fault. He put both Kakashi and Aiko at risk because of his confused feelings, and he hated himself for it.

He was suppose to be there to help Kakashi out, to take care of him, to make sure he and the baby were getting everything they needed…and he failed them. He failed to provide for them and get them the essentials they needed to live. He failed as a father…and he failed as a man.

Iruka squeezed his eyes shut, trying to suppress the tears of frustration that he could feel stinging them. At the start of all this he had set out to be a man that his parents could be proud of, and a man that deserved to have a woman like Tsubaki. But now he couldn't help but feel that he failed miserably on both accounts.

His parent's would've been so disappointed in him if they had seen what he had done. They would've been disappointed that he cheated on his fiancée in the first place, disappointed that he lied about it for so long, disappointed that he failed to provide for his child, and disappointed that he couldn't come to terms with his feelings and decide exactly what it is he wanted.

And as far as being a man Tsubaki deserved, he felt like he couldn't have been farther away from that even if he tried. He didn't deserve Tsubaki, he didn't deserve Kakashi, he didn't deserve anyone.

"I'm so sorry," Iruka whispered, his angry tears now leaking from his eyes. He placed a hand gently on Kakashi's abdomen, hoping that he wouldn't wake him. "I'm so sorry little girl. I let you down, and I let your other daddy down."

His tears continued to fall, and he could feel himself begin to shake. "You and your daddy deserve someone so much better than me. You deserve someone who can give you both everything you could ever want or need. You don't deserve a coward who can't make up his mind."

"I'm so sorry," he whispered once again, repeating the same words over and over. It wasn't until he felt a hand on top of his that he silenced himself, his reddened eyes widening as he looked over at the older man, who was now awake.

"Stop apologizing." Kakashi whispered, his voice very quiet and slightly raspy.

Iruka tried to get his emotions in check, but seeing the other man looking up at him, broke what little composure he had. "I'm so sorry Kakashi, I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you, I should've never left like I did, I…"

But he was cut off when Kakashi raised his hand to silence him.

Kakashi sighed, he wanted to be angry at Iruka…angry at him for what he did, and how he left him…and angry at him for making him feel the way he did. But seeing how distraught and broken the other man was, it was hard to muster up any form of anger.

"I said stop apologizing…it's just as much my fault as it is yours…in fact I'm probably more to blame. It's my own fault for being too scared to be seen in public, and it's also my fault for kissing you. You might have initiated the moment, but I'm the one that closed the gap…I knew how you felt about your fiancée, and I knew it wasn't right, but I chose to do it anyway. That is my fault."

"Kakashi…" Iruka began, but was cut off once again.

"Please let me finish." Kakashi said, taking a few deep breaths. "This whole thing is my fault from the beginning. I'm the one that seduced you that night, even though I could see you didn't want it at first. I dragged you into this, and confused you, and I'm sorry for that. I should never have let you get involved…I should've insisted that you walk away from this and forget about me. Then you would still be happily planning your wedding with your fiancée, instead of being miserable and confused about the man you knocked up."

"Kakashi, I'm not miserable, I…" Iruka said, blinking away another wave of tears that were threatening to fall. "This is what I wanted, I wanted to be there for you."

"No, don't kid yourself. This was never what you wanted. You didn't want to sleep with me that night, you didn't want to cheat on your fiancée, and you certainly didn't want to get me pregnant. This is my fault, and my fault alone."

"You have no idea what I want! And you keep placing all the blame on yourself but when it comes down to it, you didn't force me to do anything that night! If I truly didn't want to be with you, then I wouldn't have gone home with you that night."

"You were drunk, and most likely scared to say no to the copy-nin. I put you in that situation. But that doesn't matter now…" Kakashi sighed, feeling his gut give an unpleasant churn. There was a part of him that wanted to keep silent, and to forgive the other man and try and work through whatever problems they had. But every time he thought about their possible future, and Iruka being with Tsubaki, he just couldn't accept that. He may have been willing to try and make it work before, especially if it was what was best for Aiko, but he just couldn't do it, not after realizing his feelings and admitting them to himself. He just couldn't stomach the thought of watching Iruka be with Tsubaki, but he also couldn't stomach the thought of Iruka being miserable, and maybe even choosing him out of obligation. He didn't want to be with Iruka unless it was what the other man actually wanted, and after what had happened the other day, it was obvious to him that this wasn't what he wanted, and that his heart still laid with his fiancée. Which only left one option in Kakashi's mind…he had to do this now, before it got any harder.

"I think this brings our trial run to a close." Kakashi said, nearly choking on the words as they came out of his mouth, his heart screaming at him to shut up.

"What do you mean?" Iruka asked, completely confused about what the other man was saying.

"I agreed to let you get involved on a trial basis, remember? We were supposed to test the waters and see if we could make this work, but it's clear to me now that this was all a mistake."

"Kakashi, you can't mean that."

"I do." Kakashi said evenly, but he could feel his emotions begin to stir. It wouldn't be long until he completely broke down, and just hoped that he could get through this first.

"You can't just decide now that you don't want me involved! I'm committed to this now! To our daughter! And to you!"

"Don't…don't say things like that, especially when you don't mean them!" Kakashi snapped, a wave of anger hitting him at Iruka's words. This was hard enough without Iruka saying things like that…especially when he knew deep down that Iruka couldn't possibly mean it…he was just messing with his feelings yet again.

"But you don't know…"

"I know you love your fiancée, and I know you would be so much happier right now if I never came into your life. And truth be told, I would be happier too." Kakashi said, only partially lying.

He was glad he had met and had been with Iruka, because if he hadn't he wouldn't have his daughter…but as far as everything else when it came to meeting Iruka, the unrequited love, he could've certainly done without that. He couldn't help but think those who said 'it's better to have loved and lost then to have never to have loved at all' were complete idiots…they had obviously never had their heart broken.

"I want you to leave." Kakashi breathed out, feeling the tears he had been expecting finally begin to fall. "I want you to leave, now."

"Kakashi, don't do this. Let's talk this out."

"I don't want to talk! I want you to get out!"

"Please calm down." Iruka pleaded, but received a hate filled glare from the other man. The look caused him to take a few steps back, and could've sworn his heart stopped, if only for a second. He couldn't really be serious, could he?

"If you want me to calm down, then get out," he hissed, the beeping of his heart monitor had steadily increased, to the point where an alarm started to go off.

Tsunade was in the room in seconds, checking over a visibly upset Kakashi. "You need to calm down!" She said firmly.

"Then get him out of here!" Kakashi cried, pointing to the other man, who was frozen in place out of complete shock. "Get out!"

Tsunade had to restrain the silver-haired man, who had begun trying to get up, as if he was going to physically remove the other man himself. "I said calm down!"

"Get the hell out of here!" Kakashi cried again, the beeping from his heart monitor growing even more frenzied.

Tsunade didn't want to have to do this, but this level of stress was not good for the baby, especially considering he wasn't even recovered from his low blood sugar and dehydration. She pulled out a needle from her pocket, pulling the cap off before sticking the needle into his arm. He continued to struggle for a few moments, repeating the words 'get out' over and over again, before he slowly began to slip into unconsciousness. The heart rate monitor began to slow, and the warning alarm shut off. Tsunade sighed in relief, letting go of the hold she had had on him.

She turned around to face the other man in the room, and felt sorry for him, seeing the absolutely devastated look on his face. She couldn't even begin to comprehend what he must've been going through in that moment, but her first and foremost priority was her patient, and she couldn't risk him getting that upset again.

"I don't know what happened between you two, and I'm sure it's none of my business…but I would like you to leave before he wakes up. I can't risk him getting that upset again." Tsunade said with authority, yet trying to keep a kindness in her voice.

Iruka nodded, still at a complete loss for words, he couldn't believe what had just happened. Did his presence really cause the other man so much pain? Did he really mean everything that he had said about not wanting him involved?

The thought of walking away now, and not being in Kakashi and their child's life caused such a pain in his chest, that he almost thought he was having a heart attack.

He took one last look at the now unconscious man, feeling slightly nausea as all his thoughts and emotions began to overwhelm him.

He left the room silently without saying anything to the concerned medical nin. He felt his heart rate begin to pick up, and his breathing became frantic. This wasn't a feeling he had experienced for years, not since his parents had died. He was about to have a full-blown panic attack.

He rushed passed Asuma and Kurenai, who he ignored when they asked him if everything was all right. He rushed down the hall, wanting to get out of the building so nobody would witness his impending breakdown.

He had been so distracted that he hadn't looked where he was going, and nearly ran into two people he really didn't want to see in that moment.

"Iruka, is everything alright?" Minato asked, concern lighting up his face seeing the visibly shaken man.

"Nothing happened to Kakashi did it?" Kushina asked.

He knew he shouldn't be rude, especially not to the Hokage and his wife, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything, and still wanted to get out of there before his panic attack consumed him.

He pushed passed the two of them, ignoring their questions as he rushed out the nearest door. Once he was outside he began to run. He had no idea where he was going, but he just felt an urge to run, to get as far away from there as possible. It wasn't until he reached a deserted training ground that he finally stopped.

He fell to his knees, and let everything that had happened that day hit him at once. He let the conversations he had with both Tsubaki and Kakashi fill his mind, as the tears he had been holding back began to fall freely. What was he suppose to do now? How was he supposed fix this? And finally, what the hell was it that he really wanted?

…

 **So? Any thoughts? I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I promise more will be up soon! I also apologize for any mistakes, this is unbeta'd, and I happened to proof read this at 3 AM, sleep deprived, without my glasses on…and I know I'll be too lazy to proof read it again tomorrow, so hopefully the mistakes aren't too many in number. Anyway, let me know what you thought!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: A special thanks to VampireDoll666, tineyninja, Liz, StrawberrySweetCakes, JustCallMeLucie, and Nirissi. You guys are awesome for reviewing, and I appreciate the support. And I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter :D**

"Do you have any new information?" The raven-haired man asked the brunette woman as he saw her approaching.

"I think our time to strike is rapidly approaching. He was just admitted to the hospital, and will likely be physically weakened for days…although from what I understand from his condition, he wouldn't be much of a threat anyways. Over the past couple of months, I have kept as close of an eye on him as I could without rousing suspicion, and I haven't seen him use any ninjutsus or genjutsus, so I don't think he can use his chakra right now."

"That's great news indeed. That will make this a lot easier, and a lot more fun. So when exactly do you think we should strike?"

"Well he will be watched pretty closely as long as he is in the hospital, which shouldn't be for too long, so once he is released, we just have to wait for him to be alone, which honestly still might be a little hard. I over heard that he will temporarily be living with the Hokage and his family, and he will be virtually untouchable as long as he's there."

"I see," the raven-haired man mumbled, "do you have any idea how we are going to get him alone then?"

"Don't worry, I've already set a plan in motion. It might take a couple of days, but I know sooner or later she will come around. After all, nothing is more dangerous than a woman scorned." The brunette laughed in a way that caused even her companion to shiver.

"I'll leave it to you then. Just notify me when it's time to strike."

The two exchanged once last smirk before they disappeared from sight. Their revenge was about to be realized, and neither of them could wait.

…

Iruka slowly entered the apartment, a part of him praying that it was empty, but a part of him wanting to get this over with. He had given himself a full 24 hours since his break down after seeing Kakashi, knowing that he would be in no state to talk to Tsubaki until he calmed down. But now that the moment was here, he could feel his nerves begin to rise.

He had decided that he was going to make things right, no matter what it took. He was sick of being a coward, and sitting back and doing nothing while his life crumbled around him. He was finally going to do the right thing, and do his parents proud.

He was going to some how get Kakashi to forgive him, and he was determined to be in their daughter's life. But he figured Kakashi could use a few days to completely recover before he tried to see him again. So for now he decided he would start with Tsubaki, and he would try to make things right with her, which meant telling her the truth…the whole truth.

He walked though the living room and kitchen but saw no signs of her. He was beginning to think she really wasn't home when he heard the sound of sniffling coming from their bedroom. Guilt instantly shot through him at the saddened sound, but he knew he couldn't turn back now. He had to do this.

He walked toward the room, loudly enough so she would hear him, and he wouldn't startle her. He heard the sniffles stop, and knew that she was probably trying to compose her self as best she could.

He was about to open the door, but stopped himself, feeling that maybe he shouldn't just walk in. It was strange how much of a stranger he felt like in his own home. He gave a hesitant knock, and waited for a few moments before he heard a quiet 'come in'.

Iruka did as he was instructed and slowly entered the room, seeing his fiancée sitting cross-legged in the middle of their bed. She had a box of tissues beside her, as well as a couple of old photo albums. The sight was heart breaking, and he would've loved to cross the room to comfort her, but he remained where he was by the door, not wanting to make the situation worse.

The two of them stayed silent for a few moments, both waiting for the other to start…but Iruka knew he was the one trying to make amends, so he should be the one to start.

"I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am." Iruka finally said, causing Tsubaki to look up at his with red, puffy eyes.

"What are you sorry for? Are you sorry for cheating on me? With a man no less…or are you sorry you got him pregnant?" She began, her voice getting steadily louder and angrier as she went. But once she started she couldn't seem to stop. "Maybe you're sorry for lying to me for months, for allowing me to continue to plan our wedding, our future together; all while you were starting a new life of your own? Or maybe what it is you're sorry for is the fact that you got caught?"

Iruka stayed silent, allowing her to finish, knowing that she needed to be able to get all her frustrations out, and ask all the questions she needed to ask. It pained him to see her so upset, but she had every right to be and she deserved to get all her answers.

"I know it's not an excuse, and I know it probably won't bring you much comfort, but I truly didn't mean to hurt you. I care about you so much, and the last thing I wanted was to cause you any pain."

"If that was really what you wanted, then you would've told me the truth months ago. You would've told me right after it happened! You would've confided in me, and we would have tried to work through it together. Instead you chose to keep this secret and lie to me for months. The longer you waited, the more you knew it was going to hurt me, but you kept it from me anyway."

"I know, and I really have no excuse for that. I was afraid…afraid of hurting you, and afraid to admit my feelings to myself. I'm a coward, and that's the only explanation I can give."

A silence filled the room again, both taking a moment to collect their thoughts, and try to process what the other was saying.

"How many times have you slept with him?" Tsubaki finally asked, breaking the silence. That was just one of the many questions she had on her mind, but she figured she would start there. "Was it just the once, or have you been sleeping with him this entire time?"

"It was just the one time. It happened not quite 6 months ago…I was out for drinks with some work friends, when they all ended up bailing. I was about to go home when he approached me. I was already a little drunk at the time, not to mention more then a little intimidated considering who he was…a few drinks later and I could barely see straight, let alone make a rational decision…but I know that's not an excuse, and in the end the choice was still mine. I'm so sorry Tsubaki." He replied, trying to be as honest with her as he could.

"Why a man?" Tsubaki asked next, mentally going through her list of questions. There was so much about this situation that didn't make sense to her, and she desperately wanted to try and understand it. "You've always been shy when it came to things sexually…I figured it was kind of sweet and enduring, and I was more than happy to make the first move. But was it because you were shy, or have you been gay this whole time?"

"No! I'm not gay." Iruka replied quickly, but received a 'don't bull shit me' look from the woman on the bed, and given the situation, he supposed he should elaborate. "I don't know how to explain it…it's true I was never really attracted to other women, but when I met you, and fell in love with you, I really was attracted to you. I swear I haven't been lying to you for years about that…I never even considered the idea of being with a man until that night."

Tsubaki was a little hesitant to believe that, but remembered some of the nights that they had shared, and how passionate some of them had been, and she was sure there was no way he could have faked that. So she reluctantly nodded, believing his words, before moving on to her next question.

"How the hell is it possible that he is pregnant?" That question had been one of the majors ones weighing heavily on her mind. She had never heard of male pregnancy before, even in the world of ninja, so she was beyond curious as to how it was possible.

"Basically he was accidently given an experimental drug that was being developed by Lady Tsunade. It was designed for women who couldn't bare children. The drug was meant to revitalize their reproductive organs and get them functioning properly. It was obviously never meant to be taken by a man, and the side effects weren't known at the time. But the drug was some how able to take the large amount of chakra in his body and create a temporary womb with it. It also was able to extract his genetic material and form an actual egg. This was all of course unknown to Kakashi at the time, and the night he was given the drug, just so happened to be the night that we…" He trailed off there, not feeling the need to finish that sentence. They both knew all to well what had happened that night.

"The whole thing seems so unbelievable, but I suppose stranger things have happened in the ninja world…" She spoke, taking a moment to let everything he said to sink in before she continued. "And how long have you known about it?"

"Four months," he answered, knowing that it would most likely hurt her to hear, but he vowed to answer all her questions, and as truthfully as possible.

"I see…" She sighed, taking a few deep breaths, doing everything in her power to keep calm. She would have loved to start yelling, to start crying, and possibly to start throwing objects at his head…but she still had things she wanted to say, and answers she wanted to get, so she knew breaking down now wasn't likely to get them for her. "I want to ask you why. Why you would keep this from me for so long…but I know you probably won't have a real answer for me. So I guess instead, I want to know if you planned to be involved in the child's life. I mean, obviously these past few months you have been going to see Kakashi, and checking in on him I guess, but what were your plans afterward? Did you plan to tell me the truth? Did you plan to try and keep lying to me? Or did you plan to eventually leave me altogether?"

"I honestly had no idea what I planned to do when the time came. I knew I was going to tell you eventually though, I didn't plan on trying to deceive you forever…it was just so hard, I was scared of what you would think…as for the rest of it…I do want to be in my child's life. At first that idea terrified me, and I was definitely not ready to be a father, but that changed over these last few months."

"And where did I fit in to your plans? When you decided you wanted to be in the child's life…was I with you?" She asked, afraid to hear the answer, but knew it would be foolish of her to try and avoid it. She couldn't continue making excuses for him; she couldn't continue kidding herself into thinking everything was all right.

"You were, at first…I knew it would be hard for you to try and accept, and was fully expecting you to leave me once you found out, hence why I was so nervous about telling you the truth. You've been such a huge part of my life for so long…you were my first love! The person I planned on marrying. I just couldn't bring myself to completely forget about that."

"You said you _were_ hoping I would stay with you after I found out…past tense…"

She said trailing off, not sure she wanted to finish the question. Her emotions were getting harder to keep in check at this point, and she knew it wouldn't be long until she lost it.

"I'm not going to lie and say I forgive you, because I don't, and I don't know if I ever will, at least not completely. But at the same time," tears were now stinging her eyes, threatening to fall, and it was a struggle to keep her voice even, "I still love you, I don't think I could ever stop loving you no matter what you do. What you did hurts me more than I could ever say…it kills me to think about the fact that someone other than me will be bringing your child into the world…but I know there's nothing I can do about that now. You were the man I planned on marrying Iruka! I saw my future with you and with you only. So even though you hurt me, I'm still not ready to throw everything we had away, not if there is still a chance we could fix it…" She trailed off, taking a moment to wipe away the tears that had managed to escape her eyes.

Iruka completely stilled at her words, feeling his breath hitch in his throat. When he came in there to have this conversation, never did he imagine this scenario, and he wasn't sure what to do, or say. All the conflicting emotions he had been feeling before began to resurface.

"If there is a chance we could fix this, then I'm willing to look past what you've done. I'm willing to still marry you, and even accept your child into our lives."

"R-really?" He had dreamed of hearing her say those words, for months it was all he wanted to hear. He had so badly wanted to keep his fiancée and still be able to be involved in his daughter's life, it had seemed like an impossible dream…but here it was, everything he had hope for being offered to him, yet something didn't feel right about it anymore.

"There's just one thing I need to hear you say if we're ever going to make it work."

"What?"

"I need you to look into my eyes and tell me that you don't have any feelings for Kakashi. That all he is to you is the person that shares half your child's DNA. I need you to tell me that you don't love him, and have no desire to be with him. If you can do that, then I can look past everything." She finished, giving him a moment to think her words over.

Iruka squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think over everything she just said. Which brought him back to the dilemma he had been having for days. What was it that he wanted? What was it exactly that he felt for Kakashi? Did he want to be with him? Did he want to be with Tsubaki?

He tried to picture his future; he tried to picture waking up next to Tsubaki every morning, and picture holding her in his arms every night. He tried to envision the family they would eventually have, and all the memories they would create. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't seem to force the images to come.

He stayed silent, not having the heart to say how he felt out loud, but his silence spoke volumes to her.

She began to shake slightly, not expecting that decision from him. She was sure that if she offered him a second chance that he would take it. The pain she felt was overwhelming, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her completely melt down.

She got up and grabbed a bag from the closet. She quickly threw a few items into it, before making her way toward the door. She stopped before she left the room, but didn't bother to turn around. "I'm going to go stay at a friend's house for a couple of days. That should give you plenty of time to think things over. I know you're probably extra emotional right now after seeing Kakashi in the hospital, so I'm going to give you a little more time. I'll be back in a couple of days."

And with that she was gone, leaving Iruka standing alone in the bedroom. He sighed, rubbing his hands over his face.

That had been just as hard as he had expected, and he hated the fact that he had hurt Tsubaki in any way. And what he hated even more was the fact that she was still being so understanding.

She had offered him a second chance, and even after he screwed that up by staying silent, she was still going to give him time to think things over.

He wanted more than anything for her to scream at him, slap him, call him the most fowl names she could possibly think of…and he wanted her to leave him once and for all, because that's exactly what he deserved. But by her giving him another couple of days to think things over, by giving him yet another chance, just meant that he was going to have to suffer through even more mental torture.

And how was he supposed to try and make things right with Kakashi now? He couldn't bare the thought of facing the other man when he still had the weight of Tsubaki's decision hanging over his head.

He just hoped that the copy-nin will be alright, and in a couple of days after he has finally sorted things out with Tsubaki, that Kakashi is willing to listen.

…

"Do they not realize we can see them gawking at us?" Kushina growled, shooting glares at anyone looking their way, clutching Kakashi's hand even tighter.

"They're not gawking at us…they're gawking at me." Kakashi mumbled, doing everything he could not to look at the people around them as they walked down the street.

He had been released from the hospital once his sugar levels had returned to normal, and his vital signs had remained strong. He had been happy to leave the sterile white room behind, but now he was regretting not waiting until nightfall to leave, when there were less people on the streets. Minato had offered to teleport him back to their house, but Tsunade had shut that idea down. Given his condition, she didn't want them to risk it, not knowing what the potential consequences could be for the baby.

At least people were keeping their mouths shut this time around…none of them wanting to risk saying anything when Minato and Kushina were on either side of him. He was grateful for that much.

"Well if they don't stop staring, they will receive a serving of the red hot habanero, and I promise they won't like it!" Kushina said loud enough so the people in the area could hear her, all of who immediately looked away from them.

"Thanks," Kakashi said, and couldn't help but smile. Even though it was slightly embarrassing to need somebody to stick up for him like that, he was thankful that he still had those willing to do so.

"Not a problem!" Kushina said, beaming happily swinging their connected hands between them. "We have the guest room all set up for you. You will be able to relax as soon as we get home."

Kakashi nodded, looking forward to the rest. He may have been doing nothing but sleep over the last 24 hours, but the short walk was already exhausting him.

They continued to walk, when he spotted a familiar woman walking in their direction. He completely froze upon seeing her, seeing the tear stains on her face, and the bag slung over her shoulder.

It was Tsubaki, and she definitely looked upset. Had Iruka told her? Had she left him? Did that mean that they were no longer together? How was Iruka dealing with this? Was he all right?

Then he shook the thought out of his head. It shouldn't be a concern of his how Iruka was doing. And just because she was clearly upset didn't mean things were over between them, and Kakashi scolded himself for allowing his thoughts to even go there.

Tsubaki spotted him and made eye contact with him, causing a shiver down his spine. There was no doubt in his mind anymore, she definitely knew, there was a look of hurt and understanding in her eyes that could only come from knowing.

"I'm sorry," Kakashi said after a few more moments of staring each other down. He knew any pain she was experiencing was partially his fault, and felt genuinely guilty about that.

"Congratulation," she practically spat, after snapping out of her frozen state, "but you haven't won yet." She finished before walking away, not wanting to hear any kind of reply.

Kakashi stared after her for a moment, her words ringing in his mind. _You haven't won yet._ What had she meant by that? But before his thoughts could run away with him, he reminded himself he couldn't get his hopes up, he couldn't allow himself to open himself up once again, only to get hurt.

So what if things between Iruka and Tsubaki were possibly over? That didn't mean that Iruka was going to come running to him with open arms. And if he did happen to try and make things work with him, that didn't mean that it was real, that that was really what he wanted. What if he was just a rebound, or what if Iruka only wanted to be with him for the sake of their daughter? And what if they got together but Iruka quickly realized he had no interest in being with a man? That he was just confused, and wanted to end up going back to Tsubaki, or leaving him for another woman all together?

He couldn't allow that to happen. He needed to be strong for Aiko, and couldn't allow himself to be weakened or hurt by love. He wouldn't let Iruka to simply walk back into his life, and cause him any more pain.

"Are you all right Kakashi?" Minato asked, walking back up to the younger man.

"Yeah…I'm fine." He lied, giving them a sad smile. "But I'm pretty tired…let's get going…"

Minato and Kushina exchanged a look, before continuing to walk next to the Jounin. Kakashi still hadn't told them what had happened, but they had a pretty good idea, and it was something they both had been afraid of from the start. They didn't want to see him hurt, but they also hoped that he didn't close his mind off completely to the idea of having someone in his life. They both knew personally that they would be completely lost without each other, and wished the same happiness that they had for their dearest friend.

…

Tsubaki stopped by the fountain, shifting nervously from foot to foot. Was she really going to do this? Is this really what she wanted?

But she closed her eyes and imagined herself returning to their apartment to find that Iruka had cleared all his things out. She imagined him walking down the street, hand in hand with Kakashi. She imagined his smiling face when he would look down at their child for the first time…and all those images made her sick. Iruka was meant to be with _her_ and nobody else.

So if Iruka couldn't forget about Kakashi, then maybe if Kakashi forgot about him he would be able to move on with his life…with their life.

"I'm glad to see you decided to take me up on my offer." Tsubaki nearly jumped, too wrapped up in her thoughts to notice the brunette woman approaching her.

"Umm, yeah, I…" She stuttered out, "Will you really be able to make Kakashi completely forget about Iruka?"

"Of course." The woman reassured her.

"And you're sure no harm will come to Iruka's baby?" She questioned, biting her lip nervously.

"Of course," the woman smiled. There was something in her tone that unnerved her, but she shook it off. She was one of Tsunade's medical ninjas, right? Surely she wouldn't want to bring harm to anyone from the village. If you couldn't trust your comrades, who could you trust?

"Alright. What do you need me to do?" Tsubaki asked, receiving another smile from the woman.

"Come with me and I will explain everything."

…

 **A/N: Uh oh Tsubaki, what do you think you're doing? I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! And that you aren't getting to frustrated with me over the lack of Iruka x Kakashi moments…there will be plenty of time for that, trust me XD**

 **In the mean time, let me know what you thought! And I will try and get at least one more chapter up before Halloween, where I won't be able to write or proof read anything because I will likely be spending the entire weekend in a drunken haze, yay for Halloween. XD**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I appreciate it! Sorry that this chapter is mostly random filler. I wrote it originally and it was less then 2000 words, so I tacked a random filler part on the first half of the chapter. Hopefully it doesn't seem too terribly out of place. Enjoy!**

"You can put that right about here." Kakashi instructed, pointing to a spot near the center of the room. He waited for the two other men to carrying the heavy couch over to the spot, when he realized he didn't like how that looked at all. "Actually, can you just put it up against that back wall?"

"Yeah, no problem, it's not like this is heavy or anything." Asuma deadpanned, but followed the instruction anyway.

"I think this is great training! Maybe we should do a couple of laps around the yard with the couch before we set it down?" Gai suggested, with far too much enthusiasm.

"I would think you're joking if I didn't know you better." Asuma said, and glared at the spandex clad man when he suggested it again, spouting some nonsense about eternal youth.

"This place is really coming together great." Kurenai said, walking up to Kakashi after finishing putting away some books on the nearby bookshelf.

Kakashi nodded, looking around the room. She was right, the place was really starting to come together, and it was almost starting to feel like a home again, something he didn't think would ever happen.

Two days ago when he had been released from the hospital, he had randomly come to the decision that he wanted to raise Aiko at the Hatake compound. He came to that decision after watching Naruto running around Minato and Kushina's large house. He tried to imagine a child in his little one bedroom apartment, and just couldn't bring himself to. Not only would she not have room to run or play, but where was she suppose to sleep? In her father's room all her life? He didn't think so…

But despite wanting the space, it was hard for him to picture making the Hatake compound his home again. When they had first gotten there to check it out, the place was completely empty, and every surface was thick with dust and cobwebs. He felt a little guilty upon seeing the house, wondering if his parent's would've been disappointed that he had let the home they had once shared to get into such poor condition.

But with a little help from everybody, including Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, Minato, Kushina, and even little Naruto (though he spent most of his time chasing squirrels in the yard), the place was beginning to look like it's old self again.

And once the dust was cleared, and all the surfaces were washed, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, and Minato had offered to help move all the stuff from his apartment that hadn't already been taken over to Minato's where he would be living for the next 3 or so months. Kakashi agreed figuring it was better to get that out of the way now, instead of rushing to do it after the baby was born.

But now that he saw the place cleaned, with some of his furniture in it, he couldn't help but think is was looking like a proper home again…his and Aiko's future home. The thought brought a smile to his face.

"Yeah, but I guess I'd forgotten just how big this place is. I will have to get a bunch of furniture to fill up some of this extra space." Kakashi noted, looking around the sparsely furnished room. He had his couch pushed up against the back wall, with two armchairs facing inward on either side of it. Giving the sitting area a 'U' shape, with an oak coffee table in the center of it. There were also a couple of lamps placed around the room, and two well stocked book selves. What had completely filled up his apartment, only filled up a fraction of this living room.

"It won't seem like so much empty space once Aiko's here. Trust me, any extra space will be covered in hundreds of toys soon enough." Minato chimed in, bringing in that last of the boxes.

"I suppose so. Your living room was a mind field of toys when I first got there." Kakashi agreed, remembering nearly tripping several times the first day he stayed with them. Which resulted in an annoyed five year old having to clean up on his mother's command.

The five adults set out to finish unpacking the last few boxes, although they refused to let Kakashi do anything more than point where he wanted things to go, much to his annoyance. He tried to argue that he could unpack some of the lighter items, but nobody would hear of it.

Once they were finally done, they all stepped back to admire their handy work.

"Thanks so much for doing this you guys…it means a lot." Kakashi said, and he meant it. It was hard to get his mind around the fact that he actually had people that genuinely cared for him, and would go out of their way to help him. He had thought he had burned those bridges years ago, but to have them all still with him, especially when he needed them the most, meant everything to him.

"We were happy to help," Kurenai replied, placing her arm on Kakashi's, and giving him a kind smile.

When Kurenai and Asuma had finally found out the truth, they had definitely been shocked, but were quickly able to get passed it, and weren't afraid to let their friend know that they were there for him. Whether it be through helping him move, or threatening anybody that might look at him the wrong way.

Kakashi returned her smile, his hand subconsciously going to his abdomen when he felt Aiko begin to stir. It was still such a strange feeling every time he felt her move or kick, reminding him of the fact that there was a living person inside of him. But it was strange in the most wonderful way.

Her kicks had been growing stronger recently, and he couldn't help but wince as she let out a particularly powerful one.

"Are you okay!?" He heard the four other people in the room ask all at once, causing him to look up, not realizing all their eyes had been trained on him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he laughed. "She just kicked a little harder then usual."

"She's already training!" Gai exclaimed, "She is the very embodiment of youthful spirit! She's going to be just like her uncle Gai, I can tell."

"That is a horrifying thought…" Kakashi deadpanned, causing the others in the room to chuckle.

A few more pleasantries were exchanged amongst the group, before Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai had to excuse themselves. They each had a mission they had to prepare for. Leaving Kakashi alone with Minato.

"Are you ready to head back?" Minato asked. He had taken the morning off work himself, but knew there was likely a mountain of paperwork waiting for him.

"Yeah…" Kakashi sighed, looking around his former home. Flashes of memories began to come back to him from his childhood here, the good and the bad.

He remembered how his mother would let him help her bake, and would always let him eat any left over batter left in the bowl. They would play hide and seek or tag for hours, and unlike most mothers, she wasn't afraid to play rough, or get dirty. He remembered how they would play out side in the rain, and instead of scolding him for jumping in puddles, she would join in.

And then…when she got sick, she would ask him to read her stories, or tell her about his day at the academy. She always looked so exhausted, but she would always stay awake until he was finished, not wanting to miss a single word.

Then there was the day he had come home from the academy, he was excited to show her the new jutsu he had learned. He ran excitedly into her room, but saw she was sleeping. He was about to back out of the room when he noticed her blankets weren't pulled up all the way. He knew she got cold easily, so he very quietly went to pull her blankets up. But then he noticed.

Her skin was so much paler and cold then usual, and he could tell something wasn't right. He had already learned at the academy how to check a pulse, in case he ever had to determine whether a comrade was alive or dead on a mission. He wished he didn't know how to check a pulse…he wished he had never come home from the academy that day…she was gone, and there was nothing he could do to save her.

"Kakashi? Are you alright?" Minato asked, hesitantly placing a hand on his former student's shoulder. He was startled when he turned around and saw tears streaming down the younger man's face.

"Yeah," he sniffed, suddenly aware of the fact that he had begun crying. He cursed his hormones, and quickly wiped the tears away. "I guess-I guess it's going to take a little longer then I thought to get use to the idea of living here again."

"That's understandable. And you definitely shouldn't rush yourself. You're welcome to stay with us as long as you need, even after the baby is born."

"Thanks Minato," another stream of unwelcome tears came falling from his eyes, "Goddam hormones!" He hissed, furiously wiping them away.

Minato just laughed, "That's nothing. You should've seen Kushina when she was pregnant with Naruto. I mean, you think she's crazy now…"

"Umm, Minato," Kakashi said nervously, pointing behind the other man, causing the blonde to instantly tense up.

"Oh God, she's behind me isn't she?" Minato asked, beginning to panic when Kakashi nodded his head yes.

He turned around slowly, apology already on the tip of his tongue, only to see no one there.

"You're such an ass," Minato mumbled, turning back toward his former student.

"Thought I'd break the tension," Kakashi teased, following the other man as he headed out the door. "What would the other Kages think if they found out the Hokage was this terrified of his wife?"

"I would introduce them to my wife and then they would understand." Minato joked back.

"What was that?" A voice said as they exited the house. They both stood wide-eyed at an annoyed looking redhead.

"Kakashi started it!" Minato squealed.

"You damn traitor!" Kakashi hissed at the older man beside him, before looking back at Kushina, his best puppy dog looked painted on his face. "You wouldn't hit a pregnant person would you?"

"Of course not sweetie, so I'll just have to hit Minato enough for the both of you," she said jokingly, chasing after her husband when he made a dash for it.

"Mommy and Daddy are silly," the little blonde laughed, watching his parent's run around in circles.

"They sure are kiddo, they sure are." Kakashi smiled at the scene. Living in a house with this family, things were certainly going to be more interesting over the next few months.

…

The next couple of days went by painfully slow, now that everything had been moved into the Hatake compound, it seemed like he had absolutely nothing to do…except eat, sleep, and get fatter.

Kakashi sighed, he couldn't believe he still had a good three months of this. How was he supposed to keep sane? He had already read every copy of the _Icha Icha_ series several times, and even though he thought it could never happen, he was actually getting sick of them. Sick and annoyed…

He didn't want to think about it, but he couldn't help but be jealous of the characters in the book. They were so happy, and in love, and rubbed his face in it by expressing their love in every room of the house, in several different positions…He knew it was ridiculous of course, they were fictional characters after all, nothing they had was actually real…but still, every time he thought about the brunette male protagonist, bending his girlfriend over the kitchen table, he couldn't help but think how he would like a certain brunette to do that to him…

He shook his head, stopping the thought before it could get started. He refused to let himself go there.

His thoughts of the Chuunin had been becoming more and more frequent over the last few days, and the harder he tried to forget about it, the harder it was to get the younger man out of his mind…and he was embarrassed to admit it, but his thoughts had been becoming more and more 'vivid' as well, which he blamed on his hormones.

In fact, his hormones were clouding up his head entirely, and he had no idea if what he felt was real or not anymore. Did he really even want Iruka? Or was it just his hormones tricking him into thinking he did because of his secret desire for a completed family? Or maybe he just wanted him around to satisfy certain other urges, like the ones that had been plaguing his mind over the last couple of days? So was he being selfish, and practically ruined the other man's life simply because his hormones were leaving him imbalanced?

As much as he wanted to believe that, so he could make an excuse for everything he had been feeling for the last couple of months…he knew he was kidding himself. The pain he felt when Iruka had run out on him the other day was real, and no amount of hormones would have been able to fake that feeling.

And what hurt even worse was the fact that it had been a few days since he had left the hospital, and nothing. He hadn't even dropped by to see how he was. Maybe he had finally taken his advice and walked away…maybe he was begging Tsubaki for forgiveness at this very moment…maybe they were already happily reunited and beginning to plan their wedding again.

The thought caused him to shutter, and he desperately wanted a distraction from it.

As if on queue, a knock came at the front door, snapping Kakashi out of his unpleasant thoughts. Normally he would never answer the door, this wasn't his home after all, but Minato was at work, and Kushina had to quickly run to the market, thankfully taking Naruto with her so he could get a little peace and quiet…but as it turned out, his thoughts had gotten the better of him, and he probably would've preferred if the 5-year old had stayed and provided a distraction for him.

He got up and made his way to the front door. He looked out the peephole to see who it was, and instantly froze.

Standing on the front step was Tsubaki, looking a little nervous. He began to panic, and couldn't imagine what she would possibly be doing there.

It wasn't like she was friends with Kushina and was there to see her. And she wasn't an active duty shinobi, so she wouldn't have any business with Minato…and even if she did she would know better then to think he was at his house in the middle of the day. Which meant that she was most definitely there to see him…but why? What could she possible want to talk to him about?

After their run in the other day, it wasn't like he had seen Iruka, so she couldn't have any new reason to come confront him…maybe she was here to rub in his face the fact that she and Iruka had gotten back together. That had to be it!

But what if…what if it was something else…what if something had happened to the other man? And what if she was just doing him the courtesy of informing him the father of his child had been critically injured in some horrible accident? Even though he knew it was unlikely, and the chances an academy teacher would befall such an accident were little to none, the thought disturbed him enough that he opened the door, needing to know for sure.

The raven-haired woman almost seemed surprised when she actually got a response. She had been sure that the silver-haired man wouldn't give her the time of day. And the smallest part of her had hoped he didn't…but she shook that thought off. This was what she wanted, she was sure of it, and it was too late to back out now.

"Hi," she started off slow, testing how he would respond.

"Hi…" he answered equally as slow, but then his thoughts from earlier popped into his head, and he couldn't help but blurt out what came next. "Is Iruka alright?"

The sound of her fiancée's name coming from Kakashi caused her eye to twitch in annoyance.

"He's fine…why do you ask?"

"I just thought…why else would you be here? If this is to rub in my face that you and him worked things out, don't bother…I never cared in the first place." He lied, and he winced at how obvious the lie sounded coming out of his mouth. And judging from the look he received from the raven-haired woman, she didn't buy it either.

"That's not why I'm here," she sighed, doing everything in her power to keep any irritation out of his voice. "I need you to do me a favor."

"What sort of favor?" He asked hesitantly.

"Well…it's a little embarrassing but…my mother just came into town, and found out things have fallen apart between me and Iruka. She blames me for it of course; she was always terribly critical of me…I tried to explain the situation, about you…and the baby. But you can imagine she didn't believe me." Tsubaki sighed, looking away from the man before her. She was almost a little ashamed at how easily she was able to lie…almost.

"I'm really sorry to hear that." Kakashi said genuinely.

"Yeah…and I would normally ask Iruka to come help me explain things to her, but he and I aren't exactly talking at the moment," at least she could say she didn't completely lie, "so I was hoping, if it was possible, that you would come with me to explain things to her…that if she saw the proof she would stop harassing me about being a liar." Tsubaki pleaded, causing a wave of guilt to wash over Kakashi. Despite Tsubaki being the one obstacle standing in the way of what he believed was his perfect life, he had to keep in mind that he was the one that wronged her, not the other way around.

So as tired as he was, and as much as he didn't want to go out in public, he felt like he at least owed her this much. That even though it wasn't much, if he could at least do this, then maybe the guilt he felt about wronging her would begin to ease. And if Iruka ever did come around and want to start something (not that he wanted that…or was thinking about it) then hopefully Tsubaki could be a little more at peace with the idea and it wouldn't hurt her as much as it might've…though he knew that thought was probably naïve.

"Alright," he eventually agreed, a small smile tugging at his lips upon seeing the relieved look on the woman's face. Her mother's opinion must be important to her… "Just let me grab a sweater, I'll be right back."

He entered the guest room and grabbed his sweater, about to leave when a sudden thought came to him. He could just imagine Kushina coming home from the market to find him missing…it wasn't a pretty sight. So he grabbed a piece of scrap paper from an old notebook he had lying around, and scribbled out a quick note.

 _Don't freak out, I'll be back soon. I'm not alone, so don't worry._

 _Kakashi_

He nodded satisfied with the message. Besides, he figured he would be back shortly after she was, he couldn't imagine this taking long.

He threw the sweater on, ignoring the fact that it barely fit over his bulging abdomen, and returned to Tsubaki who was waiting nervously at the front door. _Why did she look so nervous,_ he wondered. She looked like she had been on edge from the moment he opened the door. Maybe she had been worried that he was going to say no? But he agreed, so he couldn't figure out why she looked like she was about to jump out of her skin.

The two walked silently for a few moments, before he decided to break the crippling tension that was building up between them.

"I just thought I should let you know, that I really didn't mean for any of this to happen. And I know it's probably not a consolation, but I truly do feel terribly about what happened. I never wanted to hurt you or Iruka."

Tsubaki simply nodded at the man's words. They were so sincere, that it caused an uncomfortable lurch in her stomach. He really didn't seem like a bad person, but she still couldn't forget what he did, and how it was obvious that he cared deeply for her fiancée, and how it was more than likely her fiancée returned those feelings. If she had any hope of salvaging the life she had planned out for herself, she had to do this. _Besides,_ she thought, _the woman promised that no harm would come to Kakashi or the baby._ So she tried to convince herself that she shouldn't feel bad.

But as she led Kakashi down the street, toward one of the towns gates, she couldn't quite shake the uneasy feeling that she had.

…

 **A/N: Thank you for reading! And sorry if this chapter was a little blah and filler-ish. It was hard to get through but necessary to set up the future chapters. Hopefully it wasn't too painful haha. And I'll try to get another chapter up at the beginning of next week, but I'm about to get a lot busier again, so unfortunately updates might become a weekly thing again. But at least they won't disappear completely! Anyway let me know what you thought and hopefully you will have more by Monday.**


	19. Chapter 19

"Kakashi! I'm back!" Kushina shouted, receiving no reply. She figured he was probably still sleeping, just like he had been all afternoon. She carried her groceries into the kitchen, thanking Naruto for helping as she grabbed one of the lighter bags from him. "Why don't you go wake up big brother Kakashi and ask him what he feels like for dinner?"

The 5-year old nodded excitedly, taking off towards the bedrooms. "And remember not to jump on him!" She shouted after him, praying her son remembered the talk she and Minato had about being a little gentler with Kakashi.

When he asked why, they felt as though they might as well be honest…which it was hard enough explaining pregnancy to a 5-year old, with out the added difficulty of it being a male pregnancy. But luckily Naruto didn't seem so much confused by the fact that Kakashi was a boy, as much as he was curious about how the baby actually got into his stomach. He had avoided Kakashi for a few days after that, afraid that he was going to eat him just like he did that baby, when his parents finally explained that that's not what happened. Luckily he didn't ask too many questions after that…

"What did he say?" Kushina questioned, when she heard the little patters of her son's feet running back into the kitchen.

"He wasn't there." He answered simply.

"Oh? Did you notice if he was in the washroom by chance?"

"Nope!" He said brightly, but held out the piece of paper he found.

"What's this?" She asked, taking the note.

"I dunno, I can't read." He said, rolling his eyes as if that was obvious. Had his mother forgotten that?

"Sorry, my mistake," she chuckled, opening up the note. She scanned over the words a couple of times.

 _Don't freak out, I'll be back soon. I'm not alone, so don't worry._

 _Kakashi_

After the words sunk in, she began to do the opposite of what the note had told her and began to freak out. How long had he been gone? She had been at the market longer then expected, so she had no idea of knowing just how long ago he left. Could've been two minutes or nearly an hour for all she knew.

And what did he mean he wasn't alone? Who was he with? Surely if he was with someone like Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, or Tsunade he would have mentioned that. Hell, even if Iruka had come to patch things up with him, he would have mentioned that…right? And he wouldn't normally willingly go out in public.

Worry and concern for the silver-haired man set in but she tried to remain calm. For all she knew he really hadn't been gone for more than a minute or two, and she knew he wouldn't go out in public unless he had a good reason.

"Is everything alright mommy?" She heard a little voice ask, and felt a small tug at the hem of her dress.

"Yes, I'm sure every things alright." She smiled, giving her son's hair a playful shuffle. "Although if big brother Kakashi isn't back in 30 minutes then we are going to go pay daddy a visit."

"Yay! Daddy!" Naruto cheered excitedly. He always loved getting to visit his daddy at work, and see how important he was. It made him want to be just like him when he was older, and he let his parent's know on a number of occasions that he intended to become Hokage.

As Naruto continued to cheer in excitement, Kushina took one last glance at the note, hoping that any fears she had ended up being unfounded.

…

"Why are we leaving the village? I thought your mother was here visiting?" He asked, starting to get a little apprehensive. Surely Tsubaki's mother would have been staying with her at her apartment if she was in town…right? And why did the guards stationed at the front gate have such a dazed look on their faces? It was like they weren't even looking at them as they walked by…and considering his current condition, not getting stared at was certainly strange indeed. Not to mention it was literally those two's job to watch who was coming in and out of the village.

"She was a little more comfortable meeting just outside the village." Tsubaki provided weakly.

"Why exactly?"

"Um…she's just a strange woman. I don't understand half the stuff she does." She laughed nervously, and knew it was only a matter of time before her cover was blown. Not even the most gullible person would believe what she was saying, but she didn't need him to believe it, she just needed him to follow her a little bit longer.

"That's…interesting." Kakashi began to slow his pace. He was getting a bad feeling the further he got away from the gate, and was seconds away from turning around.

He may have lost his ninja abilities, but he wasn't a complete idiot. He knew the moment they left the village that she was lying, he just couldn't for the life of him figure out why. What could she possibly be after?

"Look Tsubaki, I'm sorry about this, but I really should be heading back. Kushina will probably be back at the house by now, and will probably be pretty worried. I'd be happy to explain things to your mother another time." He saw a distressed look cross her face, but didn't take too much time to think about, turning around to head back to the village, when he saw his path was blocked.

Standing there was a brunette woman, who seemed vaguely familiar, when recognition struck him. She was the medical ninja that had walked in on him with his shirt off in the exam room. The one that he had been paranoid would leak his secret to the village. But when the secret didn't seem to get out, he had just assumed that she kept her oath of confidentiality, and he quickly forgot all about her.

He turned back toward Tsubaki, a look of hurt and confusion painted on his face. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry Kakashi," she said, and actually sounded sincere…but why was she doing this then? "I just love him so much. He's been the most important person in my life for 5 years! I couldn't just throw that away."

Her words sent a chill down his spine, but he tried to remain calm and keep any signs of panic off his face.

"What are you trying to say? What have you done?" He said, keeping his tone even, mentally trying to devise an escape plan if necessary.

"She's just going to erase your memory, not all of it of course, just anything about Iruka."

"And isn't it sweet that she actually believed that?" A new voice chimed in from behind Tsubaki, causing her to gasp and step away.

The man had black hair, and was covered head to toe with scars. He wasn't wearing a village headband, but it was obvious he was a shinobi of some sort; Kakashi didn't need to be able to detect chakra to realize that. But who ever he was though, he didn't recognize him at all.

"Who…who are you?" Tsubaki asked, and he could see she seemed genuinely surprised. Obviously whatever was happening now was not what she intended to.

"That's not really important, at least not right now." The man chuckled, taking joy in the woman's surprise and fear. "But I thank you so much for doing such a great job of getting him out here. With all the jutsus in place and people watching him, we honestly couldn't have done this without you."

Tsubaki's eyes widened at that, realization crashing down on her suddenly. She had made a mistake, a horrible mistake.

Kakashi could feel his own nerves begin to rise. It was one thing when he only had one enemy to face, but now he stood between two enemies, completely defenseless. He couldn't use chakra, not without risking his child's safety…and he had absolutely no ninja tools on him. Not that they would do him much good in that moment. His senses and abilities, including his speed and reaction time, were so diminished at the moment, that he doubted he would be able to win a fight against an academy student, let alone two fully trained ninja.

"My absence will have already been noted," he said calmly, hoping to diffuse the situation, but knew he was likely grasping at straws at this point. The looks on their faces were so full of hate…he had no idea what he did to earn those looks, but couldn't imagine that they would be easily talked down.

"Well then we better hurry." The woman chuckled, pulling out a syringe from her pocket. The sight of the needle caused a wave of anxiety to hit him, and instinctively he wrapped his arms around his middle.

He felt a hand on his arm, and instantly flinched, but calmed down slightly when he saw it was Tsubaki. She had panic and tears in her eyes, but he could offer her no comfort, for his own panic was paralyzing.

"I'm so sorry, this is not what I wanted." She cried. "This was never supposed to happen. You lied!" She spat the last part at the woman who was now approaching them.

Kakashi took a couple steps back; only for his back to hit what he was sure was the chest of the raven-haired man. He tried to make a dash for it, but was easily caught, the man holding his arms behind his back.

"Of course I lied dear girl," the woman sneered, "but you have to understand. This moment has been two years in the making. I came to this village disguised as a refugee, and eventually worked up the ranks to become a medical ninja. I have lain low, waiting for the perfect opportunity for us to make our move. And bless the Gods that opportunity finally came in the form of that abomination," she seethed, pointing to Kakashi's swollen stomach, "He's virtually defenseless! It's perfect! But it was still hard to get my hands on him alone, and the village's defense system was far too advanced for my companion Kohaku here to simply walk in. I really did need you, so you'll excuse me for lying."

Kakashi attempted to loosen the hold the man had on him, but his struggles were all in vein, the man was far too powerful for him at that moment. The woman was now beside him, and before he could protest she jammed the needle roughly into his neck. He winced out of instinct, but any pain he felt was numbed by the sheer panic rushing through him.

Normally a situation like this wouldn't be a problem…mainly because he would certainly be able to fight his way out of it…but even in a desperate situation, where it looked like the end was near, he was usually able to keep his calm. As a ninja he was trained to look death in the face without fear, and in the past he might have even welcomed such a situation, tired of living through his pain. But it was different now, he wasn't only living for himself, he was living for his daughter, and if anything happened to him, it happened to her as well, and that idea terrified him more than anything else in his life ever had.

"Kakashi!" Tsubaki gasped, tears now streaming down her face. She was frozen in fear, but he could offer no words of encouragement, feeling himself beginning to slip away.

With the last bit of energy he still had, he gave Tsubaki a look, a look that he hoped conveyed what he was thinking without him having to speak. She seemed to get the message, and took off in a frantic sprint toward the village. She needed to get help.

As his vision began to blur however, he spotted a sight that caused his blood to run cold. Tsubaki was hit with something, what he wasn't sure, but whatever it was caused her to collapse to the ground with a loud thud, and had rendered her unmoving.

He had no idea what had happened, or whether she was still even alive or not, but one thing was for sure. Any help that might eventually come was going to be here too late.

With one last panicked filled thought, the image of the little girl from his dream, the image of his daughter, began to fade away. _I'm sorry baby girl…I'm sorry Iruka._ And with that final thought the world around him ceased to exist.

…

"I'm sorry for taking so long to come to talk to you, I would've come sooner, but I knew you were recovering and I wanted to give you some space…especially considering how our last conversation ended." Iruka said looking in the mirror, shaking his head at his last statement. It was probably best that he didn't bring up the last conversation he had with Kakashi in the hospital…the one that ended with him needing to be sedated.

Iruka took a deep breath, trying again, "I know you're probably still upset, and you have every right to be, but please hear me out. I didn't want to, I mean I didn't mean to, I mean I was confused and…shit." He cursed, for what must have been the hundredth time. He had been trying for hours to try and come up with something to say, and was finding the task increasingly hard. Every time he thought he'd come up with something intelligent to say, he would picture Kakashi's face and end up getting flustered and sounding like an idiot.

But despite struggling with coming up with something to say that might somehow equal how he felt, he was determined to go through with talking to Kakashi today whether he was ready or not.

He had initially wanted to give him space to recover and calm down, and then he hesitated again after his talk with Tsubaki, wanting to give her the time she needed…but he realized he was just purposely looking for excuses to put off what he had to do because he was scared. He was scared of how he felt, and what if meant, and how the others involved in the situation, namely Kakashi and Tsubaki, were going to take it. He was scared of facing their anger, and in one of their cases rejection. He was scared of putting himself out there, to finally admit what he wanted, only to lose it all.

He was a coward, and he knew it. And it took a particularly long conversation with the village war memorial, staring at his parent's names, his parents, the heroes, to realize what he had to do. Sure coming to terms with his feelings, and trying to sort out his personal life certainly didn't constitute bravery, at least not that equal to the sacrifice his parents made, but he couldn't help but feel that finally making this move would make his parents proud…or at least less disappointed.

"Kakashi, please listen…" he began, once again trying to come up with something to say, when he heard a knock at the door. His first instinct was that it must be Tsubaki, finally coming to wrap up the conversation they had started two days ago.

But as another knock came, this one slightly more frantic, he knew it wasn't her. She would never want to come off as desperate by knocking so loudly, plus she had a key…

He answered the door, to his surprise finding a rather panicked looking Kushina, with a frightened looking Naruto, clutching desperately at her leg. The sight instantly set off alarm bells in his head, but he tried to stay calm as she spoke.

"You haven't seen Kakashi have you?"

"Not for a few days, since he was in the hospital…" He answered slowly, receiving a devastated look from the woman before him. A profound feeling of dread came over him, and his blood went cold when she spoke next.

"I was afraid of that. He's gone Iruka, Kakashi's missing."

…

 **A/N: Any thoughts? Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter! I appreciated it XD And I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter, despite the shit that has begun to go down. Let me know what you thought, and I will try and get the next chapter up asap, but be warned, reviews might be a little slower for a while due to me getting busy again.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks to all the reviewers from the previous chapter! I appreciate it as always XD And I hope you enjoy this weeks chapter!**

…

"This is all my fault!" Kushina cried, head cradled in her hands, sitting on the couch in her husband's office. "I should never have left him alone."

"This isn't your fault, okay? You need to try and remain calm." Minato tried to comfort her, but it was difficult when he was also holding a distressed Naruto who was clinging tightly to his neck.

He doubted the 5-year old was even aware of what was really going on, all he knew was both of his parents seemed upset, therefore something bad was happening.

"We have every available sensory type ninja scouring the village and the surrounding area, it's only a matter of time before somebody picks up his…" He was cut off by a knock at the door, quickly calling for the individual to come in. Hopefully this was the news that they had been waiting for, and hopefully it was news they wanted to hear.

As soon as Kushina had come to him and explained about the note and the fact that she couldn't find Kakashi anywhere, he had tried to remain calm and positive. He had gone into sage mode, and searched the entire village for Kakashi's chakra signature. When he couldn't find it was when he began to panic, because it meant one of two things, either Kakashi was no longer in the village, or he was already…but he refused to let his mind go there.

His former student was strong, probably the strongest person he knew, and now that he had something so precious to live for, he knew he wouldn't go down without a fight. He was alive, he was sure of it, now all they had to do was find him.

The ANBU that was at the door whispered his report into Minato's ear, before taking off once more after receiving confirmation from him.

"What? What is it? Did they find him?" Kushina asked, desperation in her voice.

"Not yet, but they did find something," Minato sighed, "Tsubaki, Iruka's fiancée, was found unresponsive not too far outside the village gates."

"What?"

"She's at the hospital now, there wasn't much to report at this time, but it appears she's been poisoned."

"Does it have something to do with Kakashi's disappearance?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm going to go to the hospital to find out." Minato sad, gently transferring their son from his arms to his wife's. "I want you to take Naruto home and try and relax. I'll send word as soon as I know…"

"But Minato!"

"Please Kushina." He cut her off before she could argue further. "Naruto is exhausted, and he needs you to be there for him, he needs you to be strong." _I need you to be strong,_ he thinks to himself.

He knew how close his wife had gotten with Kakashi over the years, but that bond had gotten deeper over the last few months. Kushina almost became like a mother to him, a best friend, someone he could come to about anything. Whether it was something serious, or some question he was too embarrassed to ask Tsunade about pregnancy. So he could only imagine what his wife was feeling at that moment, especially when she perceived the whole thing to be her fault.

"Kakashi is a survivor, he's going to be alright," he reassured her, and received a nod in agreement. He gave both his wife and son a kiss before teleporting himself to the hospital. He was going to get to the bottom of this, and he was going to bring Kakashi home.

…

Minato sat in the waiting room next to Iruka. The other man was visibly distressed, but he could do little to comfort him. After all what did you tell a man whose fiancée was in a hospital room, potentially dying, while the man carrying his child was missing? There, there? It will be all right?

It took about 45 minutes before Tsunade finally emerged from the operating room, both men scrambling to their feet at the sight of her.

"How is she? Is she…" Iruka asked, deep concern present in his voice.

"I believe she will make a full recovery," Tsunade said, seeing both men visibly relax. "There was a complex poison in her system, it was coating the shuriken found in her back. It was almost too late, the poison was very fast acting, and there was no antidote readily available. I don't mean to sound full of myself, but if I wasn't the one here to treat it, then she'd be gone by now."

Minato nodded, having no doubt what she said was true. It wasn't a secret to anyone that Tsunade was the best medical-nin of their generation, possibly of all time, and one of her specialties was poisons and antidotes.

"How soon can we talk to her?"

"She's awake now, but she does need her rest. I understand that time is an issue though, so go ahead, but try and keep it brief." She led them both to the room, before excusing herself.

Iruka hesitated in the doorway upon seeing his fiancée lying in the hospital bed. She looked so pale, and he could tell she was struggling to stay awake. There were also tears shinning in her eyes, and a pained expression on her face, whatever happened had obviously shaken her quite a bit.

She looked up when she heard them approaching, and the minute her eyes landed on Iruka she burst into tears. She couldn't look him in the eye as the guilt from what she had done hit her hard.

"Tsubaki?" Minato asked carefully, not wanting to further upset the woman. "I know this must be difficult, and I'm sure you're exhausted, but I really need to ask you a few questions about what happened to you."

She nodded her head, not trusting herself to speak. Minato walked around and sat down in a chair on the left side of her bed, while Iruka came around to the right.

Although things had been rocky between them the last week or so, and they had been growing apart for months, he still cared for her and hated seeing her like this. He reached out to grab her hand that was lying on the bed closest to him, only to have her jerk it away.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Minato asked gently, only for the woman to burst into tears again anyway.

"I'm so sorry!" She sobbed, "I'm such an idiot!"

"Does this have something to do with Kakashi's disappearance?" Minato inquired, seeing the man on the other side of the bed tense up. He felt a pang of sympathy for the younger man. He was probably so concerned for his fiancée and her health that he wasn't even thinking of the possibility that she had anything to do with Kakashi's disappearance. He couldn't even imagine what was going through his head in that moment.

Tsubaki nodded in confirmation and it caused something to snap inside of Iruka.

"What happened?! What did you do?!" He practically shouted, not seeming to be able to control the volume in his voice. A feeling of rage came over him, mixed with sorrow and desperation.

He knew that she was upset with him, furious even, and she had every right to be. But he couldn't believe that she would actually do something to hurt Kakashi, to possibly hurt his daughter. No matter how angry she was, he still knew she was a good person, and had a hard time accepting otherwise.

"Iruka, I know it's hard, but try and calm down," Minato interrupted. He could see the distress on the Chuunin's face, and the borderline agony on Tsubaki's. As desperate as he was for answers himself, he knew it was a delicate situation that needed to be handled carefully. "Take a couple steps back, and a few deep breaths, alright?"

Iruka did as he was instructed, already feeling guilty for snapping like he did. He knew he shouldn't jump to conclusions until he had the whole story.

"Now Tsubaki, I know this is upsetting, but we really do need some answers. Every second we waste could be critical."

She knew he was right, and as much as she wanted to close her eyes and drift off into unconsciousness, and avoid admitting what she had done, she knew she couldn't…she owed it to Kakashi and his unborn child to be honest.

So once she finally calmed down enough, she shut her eyes and told them everything. Told them about how she had been approached in the market just under a week ago, by a brunette woman in a medical ninja uniform. Told them how she offered to help her out by erasing Kakashi's memory of Iruka, and how she assured her that no harm would come to him or the baby. She told them about the sob story the woman had told her about her own fiancée leaving her, and how she just wanted to help her out seeing as she was in the same situation. She told them about the weird vibe she got from her, but how she was so desperate and heart broken that she ignored it. And finally she told them about how she lured Kakashi out of the village and how everything turned out to be a lie, that the woman had an accomplice, and it was all a set up from the start.

"So you saw the woman inject Kakashi with something, that caused him to pass out?" Minato asked to clarify.

"Yes. I wanted to do something, but it was already too late. I knew I wouldn't be able to fight them, so I did the only thing I could think of, I tried to run so I could get help. That's when the shuriken hit me, and before I even realized what happened I passed out."

"Alright," Minato sighed, already trying to formulate a plan in his head. "Thank you for being honest, I know that it probably wasn't easy."

"I'm so sorry Hokage-sama, I knew what I was doing was wrong, yet I did it anyway. I can't believe I was so stupid!" She cried out, feeling the tears begin to form once again.

"You definitely made a mistake, but we can discuss that more later. For now I need to rendezvous with the search squads and formulate a new plan based on this information. The good news is I think we still have a chance to save him."

"R-really?" Tsubaki sniffed, attempting to wipe away some of the tears to no avail.

"Yes. By knocking him out and taking him with them, they obviously wanted him alive, at least for a little while. I'm not sure what their plan is, but if they wanted him dead right away they could have easily done it right then and there. They didn't, so I believe he still has a chance." Minato said, trying his best to reassure the other two, as well as himself. "I think you should stay here for a little while Iruka."

"No, I-I have to help, I have to find them!" Iruka said, finally snapping out of the frozen state he had entered while listening to Tsubaki's explanation.

"And I wouldn't dare leave you out of the search party, but it's going to take a short while to organize things and come up with a strategy, so I think your time would be better suited here for now," he said, giving the younger man a look. Iruka needed to talk to his fiancée, and try and hash a few things out. Otherwise he would never be able to fully concentrate when the search party left, too torn apart by all his conflicting feelings. "Meet me at training ground 1 in approximately 30 minutes, alright?"

"Of course," Iruka replied, giving the Hokage a bow as he left the room. He stood still, his back turned to the bed, for a few moments as he tried to collect his thoughts. What was he suppose to say to her? How was he supposed to fix this?

He knew Tsubaki didn't mean for any of this to happen, and it was more than obvious how awful she felt about it, and he hated that he was the one that drove her to this. If he would have just been honest months ago, instead of being the coward he was, then none of this would've ever have happened. But still, that didn't change what she had done, and how because of her he may never see Kakashi or their daughter again.

"Iruka," Tsubaki started, "I-I know this doesn't change anything, but I'm so sorry."

Iruka sighed, finally turning back around, and taking a seat next to her bed. As upset as he was in that moment, he knew blaming her would get him nowhere. And that this was his chance to finally come clean about all of his feelings, and make it clear where they stood with each other.

"I'm sorry too," he finally said, "It's my fault for driving you to this…I should've been honest from the start."

"Yes," she agreed, "but I should've confronted you as soon as I found out, instead of continuing to fight a losing battle. I could feel that things weren't right between us anymore, they hadn't been for a while, but I was just so afraid of losing you, and so desperate to hold on, that I pushed everything back and tried to pretend like everything was alright…hoping that maybe things would fix themselves on there own, and everything would go back to normal. I didn't want to believe that you could ever love anybody else but me, but when I saw your face after I told you Kakashi had passed out and was in the hospital, I knew right then and there that whatever was going on was more then you getting him pregnant…and then when we had our talk the other day, that only confirmed it…you love him, don't you?"

Iruka listened patiently as she spoke, feeling waves of guilt about some of the things she said. And then when she asked her question he froze, but he knew the answer, and he had known it for a while.

"Yes," he said, "I love him."

It was almost strange saying the words out loud, but once he said it he felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. That was not only the first time he had admitted it out loud, but it was the first time he had admitted it to himself period. But as good as he felt finally saying it, that only made the current situation that much harder. Not only was the life of his daughter in danger, but also was the life of the man he loved.

"I know," Tsubaki sighed, surprised that the tears she felt stinging the back of her eyes didn't fall. "And as hard as that is to think about, I should've just tried to accept it and move on…instead of clinging desperately to something that was no longer there. I honestly don't know what I was trying to accomplish. Even if Kakashi did lose his memories of you, that wouldn't change how you felt about him, and it certainly wouldn't fix things between us, but I wasn't thinking in that moment. I had deluded myself into thinking that once he forgot you that you would come running back to me…"

"I don't know what to say…as hard as it is to forget about what you've done, I can sort of understand where you're coming from. You didn't want to lose me, which is exactly what I had felt all those months I lied to you…I was so afraid of losing you and hurting you that I kept the secret and tried to push back and deny any feelings I was having for Kakashi. I was afraid, I was afraid of hurting you, I was afraid of hurting Kakashi, and I was afraid of hurting myself, and thanks to me I ended up hurting all of us anyway."

"We all made mistakes," Tsubaki agreed, "All we can do now is try and fix them."

Iruka nodded, reaching his hand out to grab hers, and giving it a tight squeeze.

"I'm sorry for cheating on you, lying to you about it, and falling in love with someone else…wow I sound like an asshole." Iruka muttered, actually causing Tsubaki to laugh.

"And I'm sorry for hiding the fact that I learned the truth, and instead of facing reality, trying to change it, resulting in putting two innocent lives in danger."

The two of them sat there, allowing their words to sink in. Things might never be completely repaired between them, but that didn't mean that there wasn't hope. Hope that one day they would be able to forgive one another, and maybe even salvage a friendship.

"You better get going," Tsubaki finally said, snapping Iruka out of his thoughts. He quickly looked at the clock on the wall and nodded, it was time.

He gave her hand one last squeeze before getting up and making his way to the door, stopping briefly when she spoke.

"Bring them back safe."

"I will." Iruka said, before leaving the room.

He quickly took off in a sprint, heading towards the training field, a new sense of clarity and focus in his mind. Now that everything was sorted between him and Tsubaki, and all the conflicting emotions were behind him, he felt like nothing could get in his way.

Kakashi and Aiko were his life, and he wasn't going to let anybody take them away from him. _Try and hold on a little longer Kakashi, I'm coming for you._

…

Kakashi slowly began to slip back into consciousness, groaning at the pain radiating throughout his entire body. Every joint in his body was stiff, and his head felt like it had been split open. What the hell just happened? He tried to sit up but found that his hands and feet were bound, and that he could barely move.

His eyes widened when he suddenly remembered what had happened. The woman from the hospital, the strange man, the needle in the side of his neck, and Tsubaki…what had happened to her? Was she alive? And what about…

His bound arms immediately shot to his abdomen, to find that it seemed unharmed at the moment, and as if sensing her father's concern, Aiko gave him a kick, further reassuring that everything was alright, at least for now…

Wherever he was, he was certainly still in danger, that much was obvious. But for now Aiko was unharmed, and he planned to do everything he could to keep it that way. He was sure by now Kushina was aware he was missing, and most likely alerted Minato of the situation. So he knew help was probably already on its way, but how long it was going to take, he didn't know, all he knew was he had to do everything in his power to keep Aiko safe until help arrived.

He tried to get a better feel for his surroundings but found the room he was in was completely dark. It smelt very dank though, and if the rough rock he was lying on was anything to go by, he would guess he was somewhere deep inside a cave.

The air was thick and moist, to the point that it was almost suffocating. There must have been some sort of body of water nearby. And did he detect a hint of sulfur? They must have been near a hot spring somewhere. But that didn't narrow down his possible location by much. There was hundreds of hot springs all across fire country. That's to say if he was even still in the Land of Fire, who knows how far they could've taken him? Though he had a feeling that they wouldn't have risked taking him too far, and possibly be seen. Which hopefully meant that they were still in the Land of Fire, and that help would be able to find him quicker.

"Well, well, look who's finally awake?" The man, Kohaku if he remembered correctly, spoke. He was carrying a dim lamp that illuminated the small room as he entered. It was definitely a cave, just like he figured, surrounded by nothing but thick grey rock, with a few steady drips coming from cracks in the ceiling. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Oh, just wonderful, thanks for asking." Kakashi answered, finding his voice came out a little raspy. He tried to swallow, and could feel how dry his throat was…maybe he had been unconscious longer then he had thought.

Kakashi could now see the woman entering the small space behind the man.

"Well that's good to hear, I would hate to think that you were uncomfortable, what in your condition…" The man sneered, his eyes trailing down to his abdomen.

Kakashi curled his knees up as far as they would go, attempting to block his stomach from view. He knew it was useless, but the way the man was looking at him, caused him to try nonetheless.

"Are you going to explain why I'm here?" Kakashi decided to ask, causing the man's eyes to snap back up at him and away from his abdomen. He was relieved that he was no longer focusing on Aiko, but knew it wasn't likely to last long. So he would have to keep them talking as long as possible. "And how long have I been out for?"

"My, my, a curious one aren't you," the man laughed.

"Wouldn't you be curious too if you were in my position?"

"Shut up scum! You have no right to ask any questions!" The woman snapped, her voice dripping with venom. Other than seeing her that one time at the hospital, he had no idea who this woman was…what could he have done to cause so much obvious hatred?

"Calm down Kagura," the man, said evenly, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, "There's no harm in indulging his curiosity. We will get our revenge no matter what, why not draw it out and have a little fun?"

So it was revenge they were after…that didn't help narrow down who they could be though. He had made a lot of enemies over the years, and even though every thing he had done was always for the sake of a mission or the protection of the village… family and friends of those he killed probably wouldn't have seen it that way. Although as fellow ninja you would think they would have a better understanding of a ninja's duties and that they don't always have a choice…but he couldn't deny that he himself would've been tempted to get revenge on those who killed Obito and Rin if he ever got the chance.

"You can have whatever fun you want with him," they woman hissed, "I've waited too long for this. So call me back in when you get to the good part." She left, making her annoyance known as she growled and banged on the walls on her way out.

"Sorry about that," the man said, as the woman left the cave, "she's eager to get this done and over with so she can move on…me on the other hand, would like to savor this."

The way he spoke sent a chill throughout Kakashi's body. He didn't speak with anger or hatred like the woman…no, he spoke with what sounded like joy, or pleasure, he was clearly enjoying his suffering…a trait that made him even more dangerous than the woman. Who knows what someone like that would have planned for him?

"So are you going to answer my questions?" Kakashi dared to speak again; trying everything he could to keep any sort of fear out of his voice.

"You've been out for 12 hours now." The man answered, smirking when he saw the brief look of disappointment across his prisoners face. "Were you hoping it hadn't been that long? That someone would've come for you by now?"

Kakashi remained silent, not giving the man the satisfaction of an answer. But of course he was hoping he would've been found by now. Where could he be that they weren't able to track him in 12 hours? And how much longer did that mean it could take?

"This place won't be so easily found, I can promise you that. Not only does the sulfur from the nearby hot springs drown out our scents, so ninja hounds won't be able to track us, but we are also deep within a mountain, meaning any chakra signature of yours would be far too faint to sense. We also have a barrier up for good measure, and Kagura and I can both suppress our chakra signals. Basically there is no easy way for them to find us, and if they did manage some how, it won't be quick enough to stop what's about to happen."

Kakashi tried to keep emotions off his face at the other man's words, but it was becoming harder and harder to do so. He could understand now why he hadn't been found, and knew that the man was right, even if they did find him, it could take days, and he knew he wouldn't be able to stall for that much time. Unless there was some kind of miracle, this really could be the end. The thought caused a surge of emotion, but he suppressed it. He was not going to give him the satisfaction, not yet.

"What did I do to deserve your revenge?" Kakashi asked, continuing his stall tactic anyway. Even if he couldn't stall for enough time for someone to find him, maybe, just maybe, he could talk them down if he understood their motives. It was a complete long shot, but he was determined not to give up, and had to try everything he possibly could.

"That's easy…you killed my brother. He was innocent, and didn't deserve to die, but you killed him anyway."

The man's once gleeful voice had suddenly turned cold and malice. The shift caused Kakashi's blood to run cold, and caused him to realize there would be no talking his way out of this. This man wanted him dead, and wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted.

…

 **A/N: Sorry for the cliff hanger, but this chapter was getting a little long so I figured I'd stop here. But I promise not to keep you waiting too long. Hopefully by Monday there will be another update.**

 **I apologize for any mistakes, and I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think! XD**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter is a little later then I initially promised, but you know, life and stuff… I also want to thank those who reviewed the last chapter! There weren't many of you last time, not that there is ever a lot of you, but it seems to have gone down again the last chapter or two. I don't usually care about review numbers, but when we're getting to the climax of the story and the numbers are going down, I can't help but second-guess myself a bit. I'm not panhandling for reviews or anything; I just hope I'm not disappointing any of you when it comes to how this story is turning out.**

 **Anyway, this chapter is unbeta'd, so sorry about any mistakes. Also I must warn that this chapter does contain a fair bit of violence, so if you are particularly squeamish then this is your warning. Otherwise I hope you enjoy! :D**

" _That's easy…you killed my brother. He was innocent, and didn't deserve to die, but you killed him anyway."_

 _The man's once gleeful voice had suddenly turned cold and malice. The shift caused Kakashi's blood to run cold, and caused him to realize there would be no talking his way out of this. This man wanted him dead, and wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted._

"What do you mean he was innocent? I've never killed anyone outside of the line of duty, and each of those kills were out of necessity. If your brother was apart of an attack on my village, then you have to understand I had no choice."

"Shut up!" The man shouted, making his way across the room, pulling him up by his hair.

Kakashi managed to keep his face neutral, despite the pain and fear he felt at the man's actions. This had started escalating a lot quicker then he had thought it would.

"You are wrong! He was innocent!" The man snapped, "He was the bravest, loyalist, most looked up to member of our village, and you killed him! All you saw was a shinobi that wasn't one of your own, and you killed him without hesitation, with out even pausing to see he wasn't really your enemy."

Kakashi desperately tried searching his brain for a situation that fit what the man was talking about, but he was coming up blank. He was sure he never killed an innocent man; nobody in the shinobi world was completely innocent.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you're talking about." He said calmly, earning him a snarl and being thrown back down to the ground, causing him to smack his head on the rocks. He could feel the blood begin to trickle down his face and soak into his facemask. The smell of his blood was nauseating, and he had to muster up every bit of willpower that he had to stop his stomach from abandoning him. The last thing he need right not was to choke on his own vomit.

He tried again to stay calm and tell himself that a little bump on the head was nothing. That he could live with any injury this guy could throw at him, as long as he stayed away from his abdomen.

"You wouldn't, would you?" The man sneered, "Shinobi like you are all the same. Powerful and famous, you think you have the right to do whatever you want, that your actions don't have consequences. But you are dead wrong."

"Please at least tell me about what you're talking about first?" He pleaded. If he was about to die, he at least wanted to know why.

"You don't deserve an explanation! But my brother's memory does deserve to be honored, so I will tell you exactly what happened, that way maybe you can remember my brother's face as you meet your own end."

Kakashi noticed out of the corner of his eye that the woman, Kagura, had made her way back into the cave, no doubt hearing the shouting that had been going on, and heaven forbid if she miss out on the 'fun'.

"Two years ago, a band of rogue ninja from our village had taken it upon themselves to launch a surprise attack on Konoha. Our village had nothing to do with the attack; we would never break the peace treaty that was in place between our villages. We knew that they would be quickly identified as rogue ninja and be taken care of, and that it would likely have no effect on our treaty, but that didn't stop my brother; he wanted to do everything he could to stop them, before they could cause any potential harm, because that's just the kind of guy he was. So he took off with a small team of two other shinobi, to track down the rogues, and stop them. They started to gain a fair bit of ground, and finally caught up to them only a few kilometers from your village, where they confronted them. But before they could sort anything out, you, along with a group of ANBU, ambushed and killed them all, without a second thought! You didn't even take the time to note their headbands, and see that three of them didn't have the scratch through them, marking them as rogues. You just killed them all without hesitation, like it was nothing. You took a brother away from me, and a fiancée away from Kagura, not to mention three brave, respected shinobi from our village."

The memory of that day slowly began to come back to Kakashi while the story was being told. He knew exactly what they were talking about now, but the memory was hazy at best, and he couldn't say for sure who he killed or how many. All he remembered was reports of an ambush and that he and his team were ordered to eliminate the threat by any means.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, I had no idea that was the case…but you have to understand…in that situation, it would have been difficult to distinguish them from one another. All we saw was a group of unknown shinobi outside our village, and we were ordered to eliminate the threat. We didn't have a choice! Plus one's headband not being scratched doesn't automatically mean that they couldn't be rogue ninja's as well."

Kakashi tried to explain calmly, but could see his words were bringing little comfort to the two of them.

"You can't make excuses for what you've done! Don't you have any heart at all!?" Kagura shrieked, rushing across the room and kicking him forcibly in the abdomen.

Kakashi was able to bring his bound arms down at the last minute and block the kick, but the force of it caused a sickening crunch, and an intense pain to shot through his arm. He flinched, but held back the cry that was dying to escape from the back of his throat. No matter how badly it hurt, it was better his arm than where the kick was originally meant.

"I'm not trying to make excuses." He began, after taking a few deep breaths, trying to mentally accept the pain. "And I know that what happened wasn't fair. There is so much that happens in this shinobi world of ours that isn't fair. It's not like I ever want to do some of the things I have to do, and I certainly don't enjoy it. And your brother sounded like an amazing man, who was willing to do anything for his village, just like I am willing to do. I'm sorry he got caught in the cross fire, and I know I will never be able to apologize enough for that. I truly regret what happened. But try and think what your brother and fiancée would have wanted? Would he want the two of you to throw your lives away for something as meaningless as revenge? Because I know what it feels like to want revenge, and trust me, it will never truly take the pain away." Kakashi finished, his voice now filled with desperation, praying that they would see reason.

But despite his desperation, everything he said was true. Nothing about the life of a shinobi was fair. Starting from such a young age they were all trained to become warriors, warriors that were expected to make gut wrenching decisions in the blink of an eye, warriors who were expected to kill, warriors who were expected to lay down their life with no fear. As necessary as shinobi may be to the world they lived in, that didn't make anything about it fair.

"Don't pretend like you know him or know what he would want." Kohaku spat, his voice dripping in venom.

"And we know it won't take the pain away completely, but it will sure as hell make us feel better for a while." Kagura said, a malicious smile lighting up her face.

"And if you think we will get this over with quickly, you are sadly mistaken. These next few hours are going to be some of the most painful of your life. And it will end with us cutting that demon spawn out of you."

Kakashi's blood turned cold at those words, any hope he had quickly started to fade away.

Kagura aimed another kick at his center, Kakashi once again bringing his hands down to block it, letting out an audible scream this time as his already broken arm was crushed under the force of the kick.

"You better begin saying your final prayers now, Hatake Kakashi."

Kakashi squeezed his eyes shut, doing his best to deal with the pain, but it was excruciating. He felt his head begin to spin slightly, but forced himself with everything he had to stay awake. He had to try and stay conscious so he could protect his daughter for as long as he could, so that maybe, just maybe, if he was found that they could save Aiko, even if they couldn't save him. She was only at 6 months, but he knew if anybody could keep her alive so premature it was Tsunade. He just had to hang on.

As another kick landed, this one missing his abdomen and hitting his thigh, images began to flash in his mind. Images of the girl from his dream, Aiko, and the fact that he would never be able to see her grow up if this continued…and images of Iruka, the one person he dared to open his heart up to…he couldn't help but regret how they had left things with him.

 _I'm sorry; I was stubborn, and scared. I was afraid of coming off as weak, and I was afraid of being hurt. So I pushed you away, thinking that would some how protect me, but it just ended up hurting me more in the end. The truth was I liked being able to depend on you, to know that there was someone who would do just about anything for me…it might have scared me at first, but I never felt as safe as I did whenever we were together. Even if you didn't end up sharing my feelings, any relationship with you would have been better than nothing. Forgive me. And please hurry and find us, please save Aiko, and please be there for her as she grows up._

The next kick was aimed at his head, and despite his strong will and determination, the sheer force of it was just too much. And for the second time within 24 hours, the world around him started to fade away.

…

"Do you see anything Hiashi?" Minato asked after a few moments, giving the other man enough time to properly examine the area.

"Nothing in this area either I'm afraid." Hiashi answered, shutting down his byakugan.

All available Chuunin, Jounin, and ANBU had been organized into several search parties that had been spread all out across the Land of Fire. Each party had at least one byakugan user, and at least one ninja hound with it. Minato may be using up every available resource, but he didn't care, he would spare no expense if it meant finding Kakashi.

"Alright, let's move ahead to the next area." Minato instructed, his team following his command. He was about to follow suit, when he noticed the brunette Chuunin frozen in place behind him. "Come on Iruka, we need to keep going."

"I know," the brunette said, his eyes fixed to the ground, avoiding the Hokage's eyes. "It's been nearly twenty hours now...you don't think…" Iruka stopped himself, not able to finish the sentence.

He had been doing his best to remain as positive as possible, but as the more time passed, the stronger his feeling of dread and hopelessness became. He didn't want to think of the worse case scenario, but it was beginning to be hard not to, and even thinking about it was causing such a pain to build up inside of him that it was nearly unbearable.

"Iruka, listen," Minato said gently, placing his hand on the younger man's shoulder when he noticed his body had begun to shake, "I know right now Kakashi is in a weakened state, but even so, he is one of the strongest people I know. And over these past few months he is only gotten stronger because he has experienced love for the first time in years. I know he is in grave danger, but trust me when I say that he is going to be doing everything possible to survive this for Aiko, and for you."

Iruka's body froze when he heard Minato's words, taking a chance to look up at the older man.

"Let's not count him out yet, alright?"

"Right." Iruka agreed, allowing a brief glimmer of hope to shine through his despair. Minato was right after all, Kakashi is one of the strongest people he knew, and he loved their daughter more than anything, so he knew he would be doing everything in his power to survive this. Now he had to do his part and find them before it was too late. "Let's go."

…

"Look who's finally awake again." A voice sneered, causing a chill to run down his spine.

He had been hoping that everything that had happened was some sort of terrible nightmare, that all he had to do was wake up. But hearing that sickening voice, and feeling his entire body throb with pain, let him know that he wasn't dreaming at all, that his nightmare was very real and that it was far from over.

His arm had gone numb, something he was actually thankful for. He knew it was severally broken and the fact that he could no longer feel it was not a good sign, but for now he counted it as a positive, because without the pain to distract him, he could concentrate on staying strong and protecting Aiko.

"It was just no fun playing our little game after you passed out, so we figured we would wait for you to wake up for us to continue. Very kind of us, wouldn't you say?" The man said, laughing. "Although I couldn't stop Kagura completely, she was just having too much fun…"

Kakashi was a little confused by what he could mean, when he managed to look down, and completely froze in shock. He hadn't felt it before because his one arm had gone numb, and any pain in his other arm was masked with adrenaline. But carved on his left arm was the word 'FAGGOT' and on his right arm was the word 'FREAK'.

The cuts were fairly deep, not fatally so, but deep enough that they would likely scar if left untreated for too long. But as upsetting as that thought might have been usually, he knew he had far bigger problems on his hands still, and a couple of slanderous words weren't going to break him. For now, Aiko was still safe, and that was all that mattered.

He had no idea how long he had been out this second time, but if the dried blood around the cuts on his arms were anything to go by, it had likely been another couple of hours. And he prayed that those who were looking for him were getting close. His hope that someone would find them and save them had begun to fade earlier, but it wasn't lost. He was still going to do everything he could to get Aiko through this.

"What, has Kakashi got nothing to say? Is the big bad copy ninja to afraid to speak?" The woman asked, amusement clear in her voice.

Kakashi remained silent, not wanting to give into her goading, but quickly regretted it when he saw another kick coming his way. He was able to block it at the last minute once again, this time leaning enough that it was his unbroken arm that took the blow. He heard it crack, but didn't need the sound to let him know it was broken, the pain confirmed it for him easily.

"Isn't it amusing to see someone who was once considered so powerful and feared by so many, to be so weak and so scared. It really brings a smile to your face, wouldn't you agree?" The man asked, watching as the man on the floor twitched in agony.

"I couldn't agree more," Kagura answered, the two of them sharing a laugh. "I'm happy our little game can continue now."

Kakashi tried to take a few deep breaths, willing the pain to ease, but it was useless. But no matter how much it hurt, he refused to give them the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain. That was obviously what they wanted, they were clearly getting off on this, and he wasn't about to make it anymore enjoyable for them.

"Yes, and I was thinking, before we destroy him completely, why don't we destroy one of the things that had once made him so powerful in the first place?" Kohaku suggests, a smirk lighting up his face.

"What were you thinking?" Kagura asked curiously.

"What made the famous Hatake Kakashi, the great copy-nin?"

Kagura took a moment to think about and then laughed. "I like it."

Their words caused Kakashi's blood to run cold, and he couldn't help but involuntarily shiver. He had a pretty good idea where this was going, and knew he wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it. _I'm so sorry Obito._

…

" _I want you to take my sharingan Kakashi, I want it to be my gift to you." The raven-haired boy wheezed out, feeling himself growing weaker and weaker._

" _Don't talk like that Obito!" Kakashi cried, "you will need it for when you recover!"_

" _Don't be a fool…the entire right side of my body is completely crushed. You have to realize that it's over for me."_

" _But…"_

" _Just ask Rin, she's a medical ninja so she would know better than anyone that there's no hope, isn't that right Rin?"_

" _Oh Obito!" she cried, clutching her teammate's uninjured hand in her own._

 _Kakashi's heart nearly stopped in that moment, seeing the hopeless look in the girl's eyes. She was always so optimistic, and was never one to give up, so if she had accepted that it was over…there really must not be any hope._

" _Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" Kakashi shouted, slamming his fists into the ground, until they had begun to bleed. "This is all my fault! If I was stronger I would've been able to stop this!"_

" _Kakashi…" Obito said, his voice having grown even fainter. "Don't be an idiot. This isn't your fault. I made the decision to come after Rin. And I made the decision to push you both out of the way when the rocks began to fall. Those were both my choices and my choices alone. So don't go putting all this on your shoulders…you really are a self obsessed douche…"_

 _Kakashi snorted at the other boy's words…typical Obtio, always trying to make a joke out of everything, even now as he slowly slipped away._

" _Leading me back to my original point. I want you to have my sharingan. You would be able to do the transplant, wouldn't you Rin?"_

 _The girl nodded sadly, not trusting herself to speak._

" _But why Obito?"_

" _Because…even if my time on this earth is done, and I can no longer watch over those I care about…it brings me a peace of mind to think that a little part of me is going to live on…that it will help you get even stronger than you already are, so that you can continue to protect the village. It will be like I'm there beside you, protecting the village, and those we care about, as well."_

 _Tears had begun to fall from his uninjured eye, and he gave a reluctant nod. If this truly was his wish, he would accepted it with honor._

" _Is the great Kakashi really crying? I'm glad I lived to see this." Obito smiled to the best of his ability. "You're an amazing ninja Kakashi, no matter what anyone thinks. I think you are the strongest person I have ever known, and it was an honor to be your rival, your teammate, and your friend, because you always made me strive to be the best I could be, and for that I could never thank you enough."_

 _Kakashi didn't say anything, his body racking silently with sobs. Instead he placed one of his hands on Obito's, hoping that he would understand just how important he had been to him as well. He felt a light squeeze, and he knew his message had been understood._

 _After Rin transplanted the eye, the two of them escaped, leaving behind a part of themselves in the process. And Kakashi made a promise to himself right then and there. That he would always treasure this last gift from Obito, and he would follow his wish and get stronger and do everything he could to protect those he loved._

The memory faded away and he couldn't help but cry out in agony as the kunai was plunged into his left eye. The pain was extraordinary, but knowing that he had failed his friend and was losing the last piece of him was far worse.

"It looks like sharingan Kakashi is no more." Kohaku laughed, pulling the knife out and the destroyed eye along with it.

"You bastard," Kakashi hissed, feeling a wave of dizziness and nausea wash over him again. He knew it was only a matter of time before he passed out again, and he had a feeling that unlike last time, they wouldn't patiently wait for him to wake up to continue their torture.

No matter how good their hiding spot was, it was only a matter of time before they were discovered, and they knew that. But they were escalating now and quickly; he was running out of time.

He felt a small flutter in his abdomen, and squeezed his one remaining eye shut. She probably realized something was wrong, probably sensed her father's fear, or felt as he grew weaker and weaker. She was probably scared, and she had every reason to be.

But a part of his memory from his last moments with Obito came back to him, and the promise he had made. _I might have lost the sharingan, and I might not have been able to keep Rin safe, but I promised that I would get strong and that I would protect those I loved with everything I had. And I won't break that promise now._

He knew what he was about to do was foolish, and there was a good chance that he wouldn't even have the strength for it. And he even knew that it could potentially harm Aiko, but if he didn't do something, then the both of them were goners for sure. At least this way they might be able to be found in time to save her. It might have been a long shot, but at this point he didn't see any other options.

He brought his shaking hands up to his mouth and bit his thumb. His wrists were still bound, and his arms were crushed, but he still managed to weave the necessary hand signs, before slamming his hands to the ground. The pain this action caused was beyond excruciating, and he couldn't help but let out a low hiss from the pain. But the action proved to be worth it when a small puff of smoke appeared.

The two people in the room were completely shocked at what he was doing that they had frozen in place for a moment. It wasn't until they saw the little pug appear that they snapped back to reality.

"Kakashi, what the hell…"

"There's no time to explain Pakkun. Get out of here now and find Minato, or any other hidden leaf ninja and lead them here immediately." Kakashi gasped out, feeling the effects of his chakra use instantly. It was like every bit of strength and energy were sucked out of his body all at once. He collapsed back to the ground, no longer able to hold himself up, and felt a string of painful kicks erupt from inside his abdomen. The use of his chakra must have upset Aiko she was panicking.

And as shocked as the little dog was, he understood the seriousness of the situation, and took off like a shot, obeying his master's order.

"After it Kagura! Stop it from finding anyone!" Kohaku snapped, rage bubbling up inside of him. How dare he try and ruin their revenge!

"Right!" Kagura said, instantly taking off in the direction of the small dog, but found as soon as she left the cave that it was no use, it had completely vanished from sight, and there was no trail to indicate which way it could've went. "Shit…"

She hurried back into the cave to find Kohaku kicking their prisoner repeatedly in the abdomen, though the silver-haired man still attempted to block the kicks with everything he could. She couldn't imagine how he was still able to do that; his arms and hands must have been shattered into a million pieces at that point.

"There is no sigh of the dog anywhere, I'm afraid it would be useless to try and find it. We need to finish this now and get the hell out of here."

"Dammit!" The raven-haired man seethed, turning back to look down at the broken man at his feet. "Your little stunt ruined our plan, and now you will pay for your insolence. Before we finish you off completely, get ready to say goodbye to your experimental freak of a child."

"No…" Kakashi gasped out, feeling his consciousness quickly fading. Maybe this hadn't been such a good plan after all and only ended up speeding up the inevitable. But he knew they would've been in danger no matter what, and that this was the quickest way to get them found.

He used the last of his strength to channel any remaining chakra down to his abdomen, and only faintly felt as the kunai plunged into his center, before the world slipped away from around him once again.

…

 **A/N: Another cliffhanger! I apologize! I know I'm evil. But I hope you guys enjoyed anyway and I'm hoping to hear what you thought.**

 **I hope this didn't seem too rushed. Originally I had this spread out over two chapters, but I didn't like how short the two chapters ended up being, so I cut pieces of them and stuck them together instead. But oh well I guess, what's done is done now :D**

 **And I know that I changed the whole scene a bit with Obito dying, but this story is an AU so it only made sense to change it a bit. And in this story Obito actually did die in that moment, which I think a few of you guessed that Obito was going to end up being the 'Kohaku' character. I could've done something like that, but I already felt like I changed the characters and the canon storyline enough that I didn't want to make it anymore complicated, so I just went with OC's for the bad guys instead.**

 **But anyway, I am rambling now. Thank you everyone for reading and let me know your thoughts! And any guesses you have about what's going to happen next! XD**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I know I left you guys hanging with the last chapter so I didn't want to keep you waiting too long. This chapter is probably a little different then most of you are expecting but I hope you like it nonetheless. I thank all of you who reviewed and hope you enjoy.**

"Something is coming, and it's coming up fast." Hiashi said, getting into battle position, the rest of the people around him doing the same.

The trees above them rustled, and Minato was about to call out for the others to attack, when he recognized the small creature flying towards them.

"Hold back!" He shouted, as the familiar dog landed with a small thud beside him.

"Am I glad to find you so quickly." Pakkun panted out, taking the briefest moment to catch his breath. "You need to follow me now." Everybody heard the urgency in his voice, and nobody questioned him.

He took off quickly in the direction he came, feeling the presence of the four men behind him. He did his best to explain to them what he had seen while they were running, but even he hadn't been quite sure what was going on.

It had been months since Kakashi had summoned him. He was a little confused by why that was, but he never thought about it too much, he knew Kakashi must have his reasons. Like perhaps he was undercover as a civilian or something. But he was never expecting to see his master for the first time in months looking like that. Everything had happened so fast, but whatever was going on Kakashi was in serious trouble, that he knew for sure.

Even now he could feel his presence fading, and knew it wouldn't be long until the summoning was broken, and he was sent back to his own world.

"He was in there, in that cave," Pakkun said, indicating the large opening as it came into view. He was relieved that he was able to make it back to the cave before the summoning was broken, and it seemed he made it back just in time as he disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Minato knew the risk it must have been for Kakashi to summon one of his dogs, and also knew what it meant that he disappeared as suddenly as he did. He took a deep breath, bracing himself for the worst.

The four men slowly entered the cave, keeping their guard up as they walked through the tunnel. The further they got into the cave, the stronger the scent of blood became, as did the dread hanging in all of their hearts.

They reached an opening, and held up the light to illuminate the small room. Their eyes instantly shot to the still form lying on the ground, broken, and covered in blood.

Iruka felt bile rise up in his throat, and couldn't stop as his legs gave way from under him, causing him to fall to his knees. Several emotions hit him at once, and he could've sworn he felt his heart stop.

Not only was Kakashi unconscious and lying in a pool of blood, but there was clearly a kunai sticking out of his swollen abdomen.

They were too late…he hadn't been able to make it in time…he hadn't been able to save Kakashi or their daughter. He had failed them both, and lost the two most important people in his life. And in that moment, he couldn't even imagine how he could possibly go on without them.

…

" _Where am I?" Kakashi whispered, searching frantically around him for some sort of indication about where he was, or what had happened. All he saw was darkness, an endless stretch of black that seemed to go on as far as the eye could see._

 _He began to panic, as a hollow empty feeling began to overwhelm him. Where was he? Who was he?_

 _He squeezed his eyes shut and took a few deep breaths, and only after calming himself down did he begin to remember everything that had happened. He remembered who he was, he remembered everything from his past, he remembered Iruka and their daughter and what had happened before he got there. His hand instantly flew to his stomach, and was horrified to find that it was completely flat._

" _No, no, no, no…" he cried, desperately rubbing his stomach, as if by doing so would bring her back somehow. "Where is she?!"_

" _Calm down Kakashi, it's a good thing that she's not here with us."_

 _That voice was so familiar, it was one he was sure he would never hear again. His head snapped up to find the owner of the voice, and to see that he was indeed correct._

 _Standing before him was Rin, smiling kindly at him like she always had, looking exactly the same as she did the day he had lost her._

 _But she wasn't there alone. Several figures appeared, as if out of nowhere. Standing on her left was their raven-haired teammate, and on her right were both of his parents. But if they were all here…did that mean…was he dead?_

" _She's still alive?" He was finally able to ask, once he got over the shock of seeing all his lost loved ones, and what it had to have meant._

" _For now," Rin nodded, smiling sadly at him._

" _Thank God…" he said, sighing in relief. As much as he wanted to be there as she grew up, and as much as he would've liked to tell Iruka how he felt, he was able to make peace with the fact that he was dead, if it meant that she had a chance at living._

" _I'm afraid you can't relax yet son," his mother said gently, seeing the confused look on his face. "She won't be able to survive without you, not at this stage. You're pregnancy is far different from a woman's, she still needs you."_

" _What?" A panic began to rise up inside of him once more. Surely they had taken his body to the hospital, and surely Tsunade would be able to save Aiko's life, right? They had to! She just had to live!_

" _You need to fight son, and we're here to help you." His father said calmly, trying to ease some of his son's panic. He had a pretty good idea what his son must be going through in that moment, he and his wife experiencing a similar pain upon seeing Kakashi arrive in this place._

" _Yeah you idiot," Obito said, crossing his arms, "we're not going to allow you to kick back and accept death, not when you still have too much to live for."_

" _You all know about Aiko…about how I…" he trailed off somewhat awkwardly, not wanting to make eye contact with the others._

" _About how you got knocked up! Yeah, we know." Obito laughed, earning a fist to the back of the head from Rin._

" _We said we were going to be supportive you idiot!" She snapped._

" _I am being supportive! But you can't deny it's still a little funny! I mean this is big bad Kakashi we're talking about and he actually managed to get himself pregnant somehow?! That's hilarious!" And that earned him another fist. "I'll be quiet now."_

" _Good." The girl muttered, rolling her eyes in annoyance._

" _You two haven't changed a bit." Kakashi whispered, looking sadly down at his friends. They were both the same young teenagers he remembers, although the way they interacted with each other seemed to have changed slightly._

" _Death can sort of do that to you. You on the other hand have changed so much." Rin said, her voice softening again as she spoke to the man before her. "You have grown so much…you turned out just as handsome as I thought you'd be."_

 _Kakashi couldn't help but blush at the girl's words. It might have been a silly reaction, especially in this specific situation, but he couldn't help it, she was still his first and only girlfriend. And even if she was frozen as her 15-year-old self, her words still had an effect on him._

" _You shouldn't embarrass him like that. It's probably awkward to hear a girl say that, since he's all gay and stuff." Obito said, misinterpreting the blush on face and earning yet another fist to the back of the head. "Sorry…"_

" _Besides, it doesn't matter if he's gay or not! I can still appreciate how he looks!" Rin argued, starting a full out argument between the two teens. He was tempted to interrupt them and mention the fact that he wasn't gay, not really, that he went both ways and just happened to prefer men…but he figured there wasn't really a point to that, and it would just end up embarrassing him and confusing them._

" _Umm…anyway son, we know exactly what it is you've been going through these past 6 months, and the struggles you've had to face with everything." His mother said gently, drowning out the sounds of his bickering teammates._

 _"You're not disappointed in me, are you?" He asked quietly, like a child that was caught doing something wrong, and was waiting for punishment from his parents._

 _He had long ago accepted who he was, and really didn't care one way or another. He didn't really care about anything back then…it was only after discovering he was going to have Aiko that he had begun to care again, although he was ashamed to say that wasn't the case at first. He had thought he was some sort of freak, and he resented the child growing within him for making him one. That couldn't be further from the truth now, but still, he never thought in a million years he would be standing before his parents having this conversation, so he couldn't help but be nervous._

" _Why would we be disappointed in you?" His father asked, stepping up next to his wife and son._

" _Because…because I let so many people down…I failed in so many ways," he began, trailing off when his voice began to shake. Did he really take his over active hormones with him into the after life? Because that would just be fantastic…_

" _You didn't let anybody down, except for maybe yourself when you closed off your heart for so many years. But other than that, you haven't done a single thing to let anybody down," his mother began, and was able to read the doubt and pain in her son's eyes. "You did you're best to help your father through the grief after I died, and the fact that you couldn't help him wasn't your fault. You were so young, and already thrust into the shinobi world, and dealing with things no young child should ever have to deal with…and on top of all that, you took what happened with your father and blamed yourself, but that wasn't your burden to bare."_

" _She's right. I am at fault for what happened, and I am at fault alone. If I was a stronger man I would have been able to pull myself out of my funk and be a proper father, the father you deserved. For that, I can't begin to apologize enough."_

" _And as for the death of your teammates, that wasn't your fault either. You were all shinobi of the hidden leaf, and you all knew the dangers of missions and battles, and you were all prepared to sacrifice your lives for your village and for each other. They both made noble sacrifices for the ones they held dear, and I know you would've done the same if you were given the opportunity. So you can't blame yourself for that, and I know that they would agree."_

" _She's right!" Rin chimed in, putting her argument with Obito on hold for the time being. "You were fighting so hard to protect me that day, and I know it was a matter of time before you were taken down. I saw an opportunity to save you, and my instincts took over. That was my choice Kakashi, and it certainly wasn't your fault. I know that probably won't ease your guilt completely, but I hope hearing that I don't blame you helps a bit. And if given the opportunity, I would do the same thing over again, in a heart beat."_

" _Me too!" Obito added, "You might have been my rival, and you might have annoyed this shit out of me most of the time, but you were my best friend…I considered you a brother…and you knew how I felt about Rin, so naturally I would have done everything to protect you two."_

" _But you entrusted me with her safety, and with your sharingan…both of which I lost. I let you down Obito." He says barely above a whisper, as the memory of the sharingan being pulled from his eye comes back to him._

" _Are you even listening? Stop being so stubborn! And stop this whole self-pity thing! The Kakashi I know was strong and would be able to perceiver though anything. And I don't blame you for Rin's death. You two were ambushed by like 10 enemy shinobi, and I know you fought with everything you could to try and save her, something I am eternally grateful for. And as for the sharingan…it's not that important. I know I made a big deal out of it, but I was dying you know? I wanted to be all cool and dramatic! But in the end, it was just an eye…your life is far more important."_

" _You see Kakashi, nobody blamed you for anything, and you never let any of us down. I know it was probably hard to see that and accept that when you were alone and coping with so much pain, but it's the truth. Hopefully now you can see that."_

 _Kakashi let everyone's words sink in, and felt as a huge weight was lifted off of his shoulders. The pain and guilt about their losses would never disappear completely, he knew that, but hearing them say for themselves that they didn't blame him really was a huge relief. He felt more at peace with himself in that moment then he had in years._

" _What about the fact that I started sleeping with men and got myself pregnant…that couldn't have been a particularly proud day for you." He said, his face burning with embarrassment. He didn't really want to bring it up, but knew that the conversation was likely coming one way or another, and he wanted to get it over with._

" _Are you kidding, it's great!" His father said, catching him completely by surprise._

" _What you're father means to say…" his mother laughed, seeing the shocked look on her son's face after her husband's outburst. "Is that we were excited to find out we were going to have a grandchild. We weren't thrilled with the whole sleeping around bit, but we don't care that it ended up being men you prefer."_

" _Yeah, as long as you're happy, we could care less about who you love." His father agreed._

 _Kakashi honestly hadn't expected them to be so understanding…he had thought for years that if his parents had been around as he was discovering his sexuality that there was no way they would approve of it. But he tried not to worry about it too much, thinking he was never going to find out their opinion._

 _He chanced a glance over at Rin, a little worried about what she would think. She was his first love after all, and she sacrificed her life for his…would she be able to accept the fact that he had moved on, and with a man no less? Not that he was actually with Iruka or anything…_

" _I know that look, and the answer is I don't care." She smiled, "I didn't expect you to pine after me your whole life. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, and if you've found that with someone, whether it be with a man or woman, I couldn't be happier for you."_

" _I support you too!" Obito grinned, "good thing I'm not around anymore though, you probably would've fallen madly in love with me."_

" _Not the time to joke around moron!" Rin sighed, smacking the raven-haired boy in the back of the head once again. Kakashi couldn't help but laugh at the display. Rin was always so sweet and kind to Obito when they were alive, but they had probably spent the last 10 years together since Rin's death, and he could tell that they had grown a lot closer and more comfortable with each other._

" _And none of us think any less of you for getting pregnant," his mother continued once it was clear his teammates had gotten lost in another argument. "It was an honest mistake by Lady Tsunade, but it resulted in a miracle, and we couldn't be more happy for you."_

" _Thank you so much, all of you…you have no idea how much it means for me to hear you say that." Kakashi said quietly, his hand ghosting over his flat stomach. "If only I got a chance to see her…to hold her, if only once."_

" _That's why you need to fight son, it's not too late." His father said, placing his hand on his son's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. Kakashi was surprised, he hadn't expected to be able to feel the other people, thinking that they were some sort of spirits, or even hallucinations. But he could physically feel the weight and warmth of his father's hand, and it brought an overwhelming sense of comfort to him._

" _But how? If I'm dead, there's nothing I can do about that." He said, once he was able to get over the shock of the physical contact._

" _But there is." His mother interrupted. "If you accept death, then there is no way you can be saved. But right now a team of medical ninja are doing everything they can to save you, but they can't do it alone. They need your help. They need you to desire to live and get back to those important to you more than anything."_

" _But, you're all important to me…" Kakashi trailed off, looking at the four people standing before him._

" _We were, and will always be an important part of you, but you have other's back on the other side who love you more than anything, and who need you to come back to them. Minato, Kushina, Naruto, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai and Tsunade all care deeply for you, and especially Aiko and Iruka, both of whom wouldn't be able to live without you." His mother said gently._

" _I don't know that Iruka feels that way about me…" He was cut off by the sound of Obito snorting._

" _You really are an idiot." The raven-haired boy said._

" _What do you mean?" He asked confused, receiving an amused smirk from all four people standing before him. "What's with those looks?!"_

" _You'll see," Rin answered, her smile never leaving her face._

 _He sighed, deciding to ignore their knowing looks for now, as he closed his eyes. He might not understand exactly what he could do to fight his fate, but they told him to think about all the people he was leaving behind, so he decided to do just that._

 _First he thought about Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai, his three fellow Jounin. How despite virtually growing up with them that he didn't really make an effort to know them until recently. Sure he had hung out with them a bit when they were younger, but after the death of his teammates he hadn't even spoken a word to them, unless he was forced to on missions…or forced to because Gai wouldn't leave him alone until he accepted some ridiculous challenge. But despite all that, and his years of giving them the cold shoulder, they were there for him without question over these last few months when he needed them the most. He might not have felt like he deserved it, but they were true friends, he had no doubt about that._

 _Then there was Tsunade. Their relationship was a little bit strange, but he knew it was real nonetheless. Tsunade had been friends with his parents so she had known him ever since he was a child, in fact she was the one who delivered him. And despite them never really seeing each other much out side of the hospital, he was injured enough and spent enough time in the hospital to grow a real bond with her. It might not have been conventional, and they bickered and teased each other more than they were actually pleasant to one another, but they both cared about each other, that he was sure of. Tsunade was probably one of the medical ninjas operating on him now, and she would surely blame herself if he didn't make it, he didn't want to do that to her…_

 _Then images of Kushina, Minato, and Naruto filled his mind next. They three of them had really become like his family over these last few months. Minato and Kushina were the only ones that never let him turn his back on them, and all but demanded that he spend time with them. He usually always gave into the requests, arguing to himself that Minato was the Hokage, he couldn't exactly say no, but the truth was, and he could finally see it now, was that he was lonely, desperately so. Maybe they saw it when he didn't, but the times he had spent with them and their son over the last few years were his most precious and cherished moments, and during those visits he always felt more at ease and the pain was dulled just a little bit. He had no idea how much they truly meant to him before this moment, and he would have to remember to tell them so if he ever got to see them again._

 _And then Iruka's face appeared in his mind, and despite his best efforts to keep his face neutral, he couldn't help but blush as his stomach gave a sudden flip. He had been so scared of Iruka, and what he made him feel. The idea of being in love was absolutely terrifying, and he held himself back, not wanting to let his emotions win. He had to be strong, he couldn't let himself get weak, and love made you weak…or at least that's what he tried to tell himself to convince himself that he made the right decision, that telling Iruka he didn't want him in his life was the right thing to do._

 _But now that was his biggest regret. He would give anything to be able to see the other man again. To hold him, to tell him how he felt, to finally let his walls down and give himself a chance to experience love. Whether Iruka turned him down or not didn't matter, all that mattered was that he at least tried, and if he was rejected he could look back on his life with no regrets. He was in love with Umino Iruka and nothing was going to stop him from telling the other man that._

 _Finally, the small silver-haired girl from his dream appeared to him. With her wide brown eyes, and her slightly tanned skin. She was so beautiful, and without even having met her, he already loved her more than anything in this world. She was the perfect mix of himself and Iruka, and she was everything to him. She was everything he could ever need or want, and he would do anything to protect her. And right now if she needed him to live in order for her to survive, then that's exactly what he was going to do. He was going to live. He was going to live for everyone that was important to him, both in that past and in the present. He was going to live for his friends, his family, Iruka, and most importantly for her, Aiko._

 _He felt a sudden jolt, his eyes snapping open, to see his four loved ones briefly fade before coming back into focus._

" _What the hell was that?" He asked, just as it happened again._

" _It seems like you're time with us is up my son, it's time for you to go back where you belong." His father answered, a smile lighting up his face._

" _I wish I had more time with you all." He said with a small amount of disappointment in his voice as he could feel himself fading away. He had finally seen them all again after years and years, and despite knowing that this was for the best, he couldn't help but want a little more time._

" _You will have plenty of time with us someday, and then we can spend an eternity together. But hopefully that day won't come for quite a while." His mother said kindly, smiling sadly as her son began to fade away. "But before you go, there are two more people that wanted to say something to you."_

 _Kakashi saw, as two people seemed to appear out of nowhere. There was a man and a woman and they looked like they were in their mid to late thirties, both having brown hair._

" _My name is Umino Ikkaku, and this is my wife Kohari." The man said, giving him a small bow in introduction._

 _Kakashi's eyes widened when he realized just who these two individuals were. He could definitely see how they resembled their son._

" _Please take care of him for us." Kohari said giving him a bright smile. "And let him know that we love and accept him no matter what."_

" _Of course." He managed to say through his shock._

" _But give him a smack in the back of the head for taking so long to realize what he wants." Ikkaku added in, giving him a wide grin._

" _I'll be sure to do that as well…assuming he wants anything to do with me at all." Kakashi answered honestly, still having no idea where things were going to stand with the other man. Despite his resolve to tell Iruka how he felt, the truth was their last conversation still ended horribly with him telling the other man he never wanted to see him again…would the younger man be able to forgive him for that?_

" _The kid with the goggles is right, you are a little bit of an idiot." Ikkaku laughed, earning him a smack of his own._

" _Just be honest with him, and have faith everything will work out." Kohari reassured him, giving him a warm, kind smile._

 _Kakashi nodded, taking one last look at all the smiling faces around him, when he felt another huge jolt, and the faces disappeared completely._

Kakashi's eyes snapped opened, but he didn't dare move. He could feel an intense pain radiating through out his entire body, and began to remember just how severe his injuries had been.

It was a miracle he was alive…which for a while he obviously hadn't been. He had so many questions that he needed answered. What had happened? Who had found him? Were they able to find the people that did this? And how was it that he had survived this at all?

The room was dark and quiet, except for the steady beep from his heart monitor, and it was empty except for one person, whose hand he could feel in his own, despite his hand being fairly numb from pain. He looked over and saw Iruka fast asleep in a chair beside his bed. He looked like a complete mess, as if he hadn't showered or slept in days, which he realized was probably the case.

He felt a little guilty for putting the younger man through so much. He couldn't even imagine what he would've felt if the roles were reversed. How he would've been able to deal with the idea of losing his child along with the person caring that child. It would've been heart breaking no doubt, and he hated that he put the other man through that. But at the same time he couldn't help but let a small smile tug at his lips as he thought about the fact that Iruka was here beside him. Whether it was solely for Aiko, he didn't care, Iruka was still there with him and that meant the world to him.

He felt a light kick within his abdomen, Aiko doing her part to reassure him that she was all right as well. The sense of relief he felt was immeasurable. And with Iruka's hand in his, and his daughter's gentle fluttering movements, he felt at peace, and let sleep claim him once again.

 **A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter even if it wasn't what you were maybe hoping for. Next chapter we will get a better look at what actually happen after they found him in the cave. So don't worry, questions will be answered.**

 **And I'm sorry if anybody thinks my chapters are too short, I think they pretty standard as far as fanfiction goes, although I know some authors do write much longer chapters, but there's also authors who write far shorter ones…either way I apologize if it's frustrating but the chapters won't be getting any longer. The story itself won't take too much longer to post though, so one could always wait until I complete it before they read anymore.**

 **Anyway thank you for reading! And I would love to hear any thoughts! More should be up some time by the weekend :D**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Sorry it took a few extra days to get this up! This was a very 'family-centric' weekend so it was hard to find anytime to proof read and post this. And thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I appreciate every single one of them :D And I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!**

The slow steady beeping of the heart monitor echoes through out the room. The sound is very rhythmic and soothing, and brings a calm to his otherwise frayed nerves. The last 6 days had been an emotional roller coaster, and it didn't seem like the ride was going to be ending any time soon.

He couldn't even begin to describe how he felt when he saw Kakashi unresponsive on that cave floor, but it felt like his entire world had fallen from underneath him. It was like his heart was literally ripped out of his chest and crushed before his very eyes.

He had been so frozen in his fear and heartache that he could barely register as the others around him had taken action. All he remembers is ending up in the hospital, after apparently being transported there by Minato. He had no idea how much time had past or what had happened, it was all such a blur.

He closed his eyes and focused again on the steady beeping. That small sound meant everything. It meant that Kakashi's heart was still beating, and because of that, their daughter's little heart also continued beating. That steady sound was music to his ears.

He didn't even want to think about those few minutes in the operating room when that steady beeping was absent. Those few minutes were the longest of his life, and if he didn't know any better he would have sworn that his heart had stopped beating right along with Kakashi's. That moment would probably haunt him for the rest of his life, but he knew he would be able to live with it, just as long as that steady beeping never disappeared again.

"Iruka, is there any change?" Minato asks quietly, causing him to jolt slightly at the sound. He had been so focused on the sound of the heart monitor that he hadn't even heard him enter.

"No, not really. He opened his eyes a couple of hours ago for a few seconds, but he was out again before I could say anything." Iruka replied sadly, absently rubbing circles on the back of one of Kakashi's bandaged hands.

The state of his arms when he had been brought in was nothing short of gruesome, and while Tsunade was trying to heal them, there was the briefest moment when she thought that it was useless and that they would have to amputate them. Luckily though she hadn't given up and was able to piece the bones back together enough to be able to put them in a cast and allow them to heal up the rest of the way naturally. She was also able to heal up the cuts on his arms for the most part, though they would have to wait and see until the casts came off before they would know if they scared or not.

Iruka sure hoped not. This whole ordeal was horrific enough without Kakashi being reminded of it every time he looked down at his arms and saw the faint signs of the vulgar word that had been carved into them. He would already be reminded of it every time he looked in a mirror and saw the sharingan missing.

He squeezed his eyes shut, shuddering at the image of Kakashi's eye being ripped from him. Even though he wasn't there as it was happening, he couldn't help but see some of the scenes played out before him anyway, as if he had been there. It had caused him many sleepless nights; not wanting to dare close his eyes in case further images of the torture Kakashi must have endured started to play in his mind.

"You should really go and get some sleep…" Minato said after a few moments of silence passed between them, seeing the dark circles underneath the younger man's eyes.

"I'm fine." He answered, trying to ignore the unconvinced look painted across the Hokage's face.

"Its been nearly a week since we found him and you haven't left his side once." Minato said gently, "I want you to go and get some rest. Come back in a few hours once you've slept, ate, and showered…"

"Please don't make me go." He said quietly, barely above a whisper, Minato probably wouldn't have heard him if he wasn't standing so close. His eyes remained fixed on Kakashi as he spoke, wanting more than anything to see his remaining eye open, and to hear his voice once again as he spoke, telling him that he was all right, and that everything was going to be okay. He needed to see for himself that he was okay, he needed it so badly that it hurt. How was he supposed to leave his side? How was he supposed to know if he was okay if he wasn't there beside him?

"Iruka…" Minato sighed, placing his hand on the younger man's shoulder, gently turning him around so that he was now looking at him. "This last week has been hard on all of us, but I know it has been especially hard on you. I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through. But physically and mentally exhausting yourself isn't going to help Kakashi wake up any faster. If anything, it will only piss him off to wake up and see what bad shape you're in…he'll be mad that you didn't take better care of yourself."

Iruka couldn't help but smile at that, he could totally see that happening. And he knew if the roles were reversed, and he woke up to find Kakashi looking half dead, which he assumed was what he looked like, then he would be furious at the other man for not taking better care of himself. Although this was all assuming that Kakashi even wanted to see him…the last time they spoke, Kakashi _did_ tell him that he never wanted to see him again. And just as quickly as the smile appeared, it disappeared.

"Go and get some rest." Minato said again, this time a little more sternly.

"But…" Iruka began to argue, but stopped when he received a serious look from the older man. As much as he didn't want to leave, he couldn't forget about the fact that Minato was still his superior, and that he still had to respect his decisions. "Could you please contact me if he wakes up?"

"Of course," Minato answered, reassuring the younger man.

Iruka nodded, taking one last moment to enjoy the sound of the steady beeping, trying to burn it into his memory. With out that sound there to let him know everything was still okay, he didn't know exactly how much sleep he would be getting, but he would still try, and hopefully get back there as soon as possible.

Minato smiled after him as he left the room, turning back to his unconscious former student. "He really cares about you, you know. And when you finally wake up and come back to us, you two idiots better not be too stupid to see that."

…

The lights were bright in the room, so bright that he could barely open his eye without feeling as though he would be blinded. His headed pounded, and his body ached, but despite all that he could feel signs that he had already begun to heal. As much pain as he was still in, it was nowhere near as bad as when he had briefly regained consciousness the first time.

He looked over to the chair beside his bed, expecting to see a certain Chuunin, but frowned when he saw that he wasn't there. He had gotten so use to seeing him every time he opened his eyes. Things were always a little hazy, and he usually couldn't hang on to consciousness longer than a few seconds, but the one constant was every time he did open his eyes, he would see the familiar brown ponytail and scared face, and it always brought him a little bit of comfort before he slipped back in unconsciousness. So he was a little disappointed he wasn't there…although the seats themselves weren't empty.

"Jeez, don't look too disappointed to see us." Kushina joked, seeing the look on the younger man's face.

"I'm sorry," Kakashi said, wincing at just how dry his throat had felt. "Of course I'm glad to see you."

"How are you feeling?" Minato asked, his voice dripping with concern, before reaching over to one of the machines and pressing some button…to call Tsunade no doubt.

"Probably as good as to be expected…but considering I'm alive, and Aiko is alive, I'm doing amazing." Kakashi answered, lifting one of his arms to his abdomen. He felt a pain shoot through his arm at the movement, but ignored it, needing the comfort of feeling his daughter move around.

He felt a gentle kick, and instantly smiled at the action. It was like she knew exactly when her daddy needed her to comfort him…such a smart little girl.

"I'm glad to see you awake." Tsunade smiled as she entered the room, feeling a huge sense of relief wash over her at seeing Kakashi awake at last. When they had first brought him in, there was a small part of her that felt completely helpless, like there was no possible way she could save him and Aiko. So to finally see him conscious and lucid brought a huge sense of relief and joy.

Kakashi nodded, giving her a weak smile. He hadn't been awake long, and he could already feel his energy draining. But as much as he would like to fall back to sleep right now, he had so many question that he badly wanted answers to, and he felt like he had already waited long enough.

"What happened?" He asked, figuring that was the simplest way to start.

"We were able to find you thanks to Pakkun." Minato answered, "And after we found you I teleported you straight to the hospital. I know Tsunade recommended not to do it before, but you were already slipping away, and you wouldn't have lasted the hour or two it would have taken to carry you back."

"I see…" Kakashi nodded, thankful that his former sensei was there to be able to do that. "But I did die, at least for a little while, didn't I?" He asked almost casually, causing the three other people into the room to flinch, like he had just physically slapped them in the faces or something.

Tsunade nodded sadly before speaking, "We lost you for a couple of minutes, the blood loss was substantial and your chakra levels were dangerously low. But luckily Iruka was there." Tsunade said, continuing after seeing Kakashi's confused look. "Because he is also genetically linked to Aiko, his chakra was the most compatible, and he was able to donate enough of his in order to bring you back."

"I see, maybe that's why I saw them…" Kakashi mumbled to himself, thinking about how Iruka's parents had appeared to him just before he had been revived, and couldn't help but wonder if Iruka's chakra entering his body had something to do with that.

"Saw who?" Tsunade asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Oh…nothing. Just a dream I had." Kakashi answered, only partially lying. He still wasn't sure if seeing his loved ones again had been real, or if it was just his fading minds last ditch effort to bring him whatever comfort it could. Either way he thought it was probably best not to mention it; it would likely only upset them, or cause them to think he had some sort of brain damage. Although if given the right opportunity, he would have to remember to pass along the message to Iruka from his parents, whether it was real or not, he felt like he owed it to them. "So what else happened…I mean I remember getting stabbed just before I passed out, how is it that Aiko's okay?"

This question had been one of the heaviest weighing on his mind, and he was curious for the answer. That split second when he felt the kunai pierce his abdomen, before his mind went completely blank was the scariest moment in his life, because he had thought for sure that his daughter must have been dead.

"That would all be thanks to you Kakashi." Tsunade answered, a wide smile growing on her face.

"What? But how?" He asked, confused.

"You managed to concentrate all of your remaining chakra to your abdomen, creating a rock hard barrier. When we removed the kunai it had been completely bent from where it hit the faux womb. It was like your body naturally defended against any potential harm directed at Aiko."

"I see…" Kakashi nodded, a huge relief washing over him. It brought him a lot of comfort to think that his body was ready to protect any threat to his child, whether he was consciously thinking about it or not. But as relieved as he was that the kunai wasn't able to pierce the faux womb…that certainly raised a few more questions. "If the kunai wasn't able to cut through the faux womb…what does that mean for when the times comes to deliver?" He asked hesitantly, he was already mentally exhausted and wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the answer, but now that his thoughts had went there he wouldn't be able to shake it until he got an answer.

"Well, I'm assuming that your body is going to know the difference between something that is a threat and something that's not…" Tsunade said, trailing off. Kakashi could hear in her voice that she wasn't sure about what she was saying, that it was all an educated guess at this point.

"And if it doesn't?"

"Well, we will cross that bridge when we get to it…but so far this drug has done the impossible, and I can't help but think that it will continue to do its job and ensure that the child has a way out when the time comes."

"Alright," Kakashi said, a little horrified about what she could possibly mean by that, but decided to ignore it for now. He had enough on his mind right now not to start freaking out about something that was still about three months away, "What happened to… _them_."

He could see Minato and Kushina exchange an apprehensive look, and knew he wasn't going to like the answer.

"We have every available shinobi out looking for them as we speak…and there have been additional security precautions put in place around the village, so there is no chance that they could get anywhere near here again." Minato said, hoping to reassure the younger man, but could understand if it didn't bring him much comfort.

"So they're still out there." He finished for Minato, saying what the other man wouldn't, his hand once again going subconsciously toward his swollen abdomen. The thought that they were still out there was definitely a huge concern, after seeing the shear amount of hate they held for him. He had no doubt in his mind that they would likely try again one day to complete what they started and finally get their revenge.

The thought caused his stomach to churn unpleasantly, and every ache and pain he felt through out his body seemed to increase. This feeling was something new, something he wasn't sure he had ever felt before. He has experienced anger, sorrow, heartache, rage, happiness…but this was something different. He was scared. As a shinobi he was trained never to never feel fear, or at least to never let his fear get to him. And he wasn't sure the fear he felt was even for himself, rather it was for Aiko. He didn't think he would be able to live with himself if anything ever happened to her, and once she was born, anyone who might want to get revenge on him would want to hit him where it hurt, where he was the most vulnerable, and that would be her.

"Kakashi, are you alright?" Kushina asked softly, seeing the terrified look in his eyes, noticing that his breathing rate had increased.

"They're still out there…and, and what if there are others! I know there are others…there are a countless number of people who would probably want to see me dead. What if they try and hurt her! What if they try and hurt her to hurt me. She could be in danger her entire life and it's all because of me!"

"Oh Kakashi, sweetheart, no. Shh…" Kushina whispered, sitting on the bed, gently pulling the silver-haired male toward her, careful not to move his still healing arms unnecessarily. "I can understand just how you're feeling. I felt the same way when we had Naruto, I mean both me and Minato were highly active shinobi, not to mention Minato had just become Hokage around the time I found out I was pregnant. I was terrified that someone would try and use Naruto to hurt us, to hurt Minato…and honestly I still wouldn't put it past someone to try. But you just have to have faith. Faith in your ability to protect her, faith in me and Minato to keep the village safe, as well as faith in Iruka…right now, after everything that has happened I can understand if you don't feel that way, but you will get there in time. It will be alright Kakashi."

Kakashi took a few deep breaths, willing the panic he was feeling to calm down. She was right. He would likely never be completely at ease, especially as long as Kagura and Kohaku were still out there, but right now there was nothing he could do about that. And he had to have faith in himself and the people in his life that they would be willing to do everything in their power to keep his daughter safe. He might not be Kakashi of the sharingan anymore, but he was going to be Kakashi the father, and he would never let anyone get close to Aiko again, not while he was still breathing.

"I'm sorry Kakashi…this was my fault." Kushina whispered, stroking his hair softly, no longer able to keep quiet about the huge amount of guilt she felt about the situation.

"It's not your fault and you know it." Kakashi reassured her, seeing the pain in her eyes. And it was true; the only ones to blame were that bitch Kagura and that psycho Kohaku.

"I shouldn't have left you alone…"

"And I shouldn't have allowed myself to be led outside the gate…"

"But I should've…"

"Look," Kakashi said, cutting Kushina off mid sentence, leaning up out of her embrace so he could get a proper look at her. "We could go back and forth about this but I have a feeling it won't get us anywhere. I know what it feels like to blame yourself for something that wasn't your fault, so I understand where you're coming from. But you have to realize that it wasn't your fault, and that you did everything in your power to get me back safely, which I am, so let's just accept that and move on, because I don't have the energy to argue with you about it."

Kushina couldn't help but crack a smile at that, wiping away the lone tear that had managed to escape her eye. "You always have to get your way."

Kakashi gave her a satisfied smirk. He knew exactly how she must have felt, burdening himself with the exact same feelings for years, and knew how crippling that could be. And he would make it his personal mission to make sure that she didn't continue to blame herself, especially since everything worked out in the end anyway.

"Where's…" Kakashi started to ask, but stopped himself. He was going to ask where Iruka was, but remembered that it was really none of his business, and that he had no actual obligation to be there. After everything Kakashi had said to the other man the last time they had seen each other, he didn't blame him for not sticking around. He probably went to patch things up with Tsubaki…speaking of Tsubaki…the image of her falling lifeless to the ground before him flashed into his mind.

"What happened to Tsubaki?"

"She was poisoned, but I was able to get to her in time. She is absolutely fine," Tsunade assured him, seeing the silver-haired man visibly relax.

He was definitely relieved to hear that. He wasn't sure if he would ever be able to face Iruka again if she had died.

"And to answer the other question I know you wanted to ask, I basically ordered him to go home and get some rest." Minato said.

"What?"

"Iruka. He has been glued to your side for the past week, only leaving to eat or go to the washroom."

"R-really?" Kakashi stuttered out, slightly surprised. He remembered seeing him every time he opened his eyes, but he had almost convinced himself that he was seeing things, that whatever pain medication he was on was just messing with his mind.

"Yeah…and frankly his smell was starting to bother the medical-nin's, so I had to resort to ordering him as the Hokage, or I'm sure he would never have left." Minato smiles, seeing the surprised look on his former students face.

"I-I see…" Kakashi breathes out, his mind whirling with possibilities. What did this mean? Was it possible that Iruka really did care for him more than he had thought? Or was it purely out of concern for the baby? Not that he would blame him if it was… He knew if the roles were reversed he wouldn't have left the other man's side until he knew his child was completely all right. But still…

"You should get some rest too, you look exhausted." Kushina said gently, snapping Kakashi out of his thoughts.

He wanted to argue that, and remind her that he had basically just slept for an entire week straight, but he could feel how heavy his eyelids had become, and knew it would be a foolish argument to make.

"Yeah, I think I will," he agreed, his eyes drifting shut as the others in the room made their leave. But sleep didn't come easy, his mind still spinning with all the information he had just received, about what had happened to him, about how he had died and how he was brought back, to how Iruka had been by his side constantly for the whole week he was unconscious and all the possible meanings behind that.

But his exhaustion eventually won over in the end, and he could feel himself slowly drifting off.

…

"Oh, hey, Iruka!" Minato called out, seeing the other man coming down the hall towards him and Kushina. "I thought I told you to get some proper rest."

"I did…" Iruka argued, but sighed in defeat when the other man shot him a knowing look. "Well I did manage to sleep for an hour or two…plus I showered!" He argued weakly, not making eye contact with the other two.

Minato just rolled his eyes, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere with the Chuunin.

"Did anything happen while I was gone?" Iruka asked after a moment of silence.

"Actually I was on my way to send a message to you, he woke up."

"He did! That's great!" Iruka said, although he felt a pang of disappointment…he wanted to be there when the other man woke up. He wanted to see him as he came to, to see that he was alright…and maybe a small, selfish, part of him wanted Kakashi to see the fact that he was there for him, so that maybe he would realize just how much he cared for him. What did Kakashi think about the fact that he wasn't there? Did he even notice? Did he even care?

"Yeah, and we explained a lot about what happened." Kushina added in.

"That's good…" Iruka said, relieved. There was so much that happened that was hard for him to talk about, or even think about, so he was glad that he didn't have to be the one to explain things to Kakashi.

But now that he was awake, he wasn't sure what he was going to say to the other man when he saw him. He of course wanted to tell him exactly how he felt, but he wanted to do it in a way that Kakashi knew just how much he truly meant to him. He didn't want the older man to confuse his confession with pity, and he couldn't help but think that's exactly what it would look like if he told him how he felt while he was still lying injured in a hospital bed. He didn't want things between them to start off with Kakashi having any doubts in his mind just how much he loved him.

"There's something I was hoping you guys could help me with…" Iruka said after a moment of silence. He needed Kakashi and their daughter in his life, and he needed to do everything within his power to make that happen.

He wanted to do something special…a grand gesture of some sort to show the other man exactly how he felt. But if he was going to pull everything off as planned, he would need some help. He wanted everything to be perfect because that's what Kakashi deserved.

…

 **A/N: So there it is. I hope this chapter answered a few questions about what exactly happened…although I expect a few of you are probably disappointed. I realize most of you probably wanted to see Kagura and Kohaku get their asses kicked or something, but I didn't do that for a couple of reasons…first off, this is meant to be more or less a 'romance' story of sorts, not an action one, and honestly, I've never really written many action scenes, and I was thinking it would come off as crap…secondly, I sort of wanted to leave the possibility open for a potential sequel, and what better way to do that then to leave an unresolved issue with a couple of bad guys? That being said I hope you're not too disappointed, and that you enjoy the next few chapters because they are going to involve romance and Aiko, and plenty of fluff XD Let me know what you thought!**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter, I appreciate it, and I really hope that you enjoy this next one. :D**

The next two weeks seemed to go by agonizingly slow, at least in Kakashi's opinion. He always hated hospital stays, especially extended ones like this, he couldn't wait to get back to Minato and Kushina's…although he probably wouldn't be doing anything too differently there as opposed to here, but still…there was something about hospitals that always made him feel a little anxious. Which probably had something to do with the fact that every time he was in one he was either badly injured, or visiting a friend who was badly injured. And really, who actually liked hospitals anyway?

But today was the day he was finally getting out, and he couldn't be happier about that. All in all he had healed rather nicely, and was thankful that he was doing as well as he was, he knew all things considered that everything could've ended up a lot worse.

His arms were still very stiff and sore, and it still pained him if he tried to use them too much or put any sort of pressure on them, which worried him a bit when it came to thinking about his ability to be an effective shinobi after Aiko was born. But thanks to Tsunade's regular treatments, she was able to accelerate the healing substantially, to the point where he no longer had to wear casts, and she had assured him that in time he should regain full mobility of his arms, which he just prayed that she was right about that. But despite the lingering pain, it was such a relief to get some use of his arms back, even if it was limited…he hated the way people had to help him with the simplest things, such as eating, and he didn't even want to think about how someone had to help him use the washroom…that was probably the most scaring part of this whole ordeal.

And speaking of scars, the ones carved in to his arms had also healed nicely. He could still see the faintest signs that they were there with the slight discoloration of his skin, but thankfully you couldn't make out the words that had once been carved there. He didn't know what he would've done if he had to stare down at those words every day, but thankfully he didn't have to find out.

It seemed that things were more or less returning to normal, everything except for the loss of his left eye. It felt strange losing the sharingan. It had been apart of his life for so long now, that he felt a little empty without it. But Obtio's words of reassurance echoed in his mind, and he wasn't going to let it get to him. It was a miracle he was even alive, and he felt beyond blessed for that. He was actually going to get to see his little girl come into this world, and be with her as she grew up. So he wasn't going to let anything get to him, and take away the joy he felt about that.

Lady Tsunade had said that there were a couple of options for him if he wanted to replace the eye. He could either wait for a donor to become available, but the idea of having some random dead guy's eye weirded him out a little…or he could wait and see if Tsunade was able to construct one. He chose the latter, but he wasn't really in a big hurry one way or another. When he had his sharingan it was covered more often then not, so he was use to life with one eye.

Kakashi sighed, looking up at the clock. He had been expecting either Minato or Kushina more than a half an hour ago to come pick him up and walk him back to their house. Even though he was sure he could manage it on his own, he had a feeling that that wouldn't go over so well with them, and could imagine them freaking out on him when they found out. He sighed; he had a feeling he was going to have to deal with a group of very overprotective friends for a while.

He was currently sitting on a bench out in front of the hospital, and was contemplating going back in, when he saw a familiar figure walking toward him. But it wasn't Minato and Kushina like he had been expecting.

"Hey Kakashi, how are you feeling?" Iruka asked, concern evident in his voice…but there were hints of something else too. Was he nervous about something? Why would he be nervous?

The two of them had talked a little over the last two weeks, but not as much as Kakashi would have liked. After being told by Minato that Iruka hadn't left his bedside at all during the week he was unconscious, he was expecting Iruka to be around a lot more than he ended up being.

He tried to remind himself that it wasn't like he and Iruka were together, and the last time they had spoken they had left things poorly, so it wasn't like Iruka owed him anything or that he was obligated to be there. He had just hoped after hearing that he had been by his side during that week that it had meant something…that maybe, just maybe, Iruka had returned his feelings, but seeing as nothing had really changed over the last two weeks, he had lost the nerve to tell him how he felt. He knew it was cowardly of him, and he promised himself if he survived that he would tell him…he just couldn't bare the thought that his feelings might be rejected. And when he was already busy healing physically, he didn't really want to have to heal emotionally too. So he decided that he would tell him eventually, he just wasn't sure when.

But despite that they did talk things out a bit…Iruka had let him know that he had finally come clean with Tsubaki, and that things between them were over (which he had tried to pretend to feel bad about that, but he was sure that it didn't come off as convincing to anyone). Kakashi had also apologized for the things he had said, and gave Iruka permission again to be in Aiko's life. But other than that, they hadn't really talked a lot, and if anything it seemed like Iruka was almost avoiding him.

It hurt him a little to think about, but he was still so thankful that both he and Aiko were alive, that not much was able to bring him down now…not even an emotionally distant Chuunin who was constantly on his mind.

"I'm doing well. I've been feeling a lot better these last couple of days," he answered truthfully. Despite his arms he had almost felt back to normal…or at least as normal as a pregnant man could feel.

"I'm so glad to hear that." Iruka said gently, and could feel himself relax.

His worry for the other man had remained high throughout his entire healing process, and after what he had been through he didn't think his worry for him would ever completely go away. But seeing him up and out of the hospital bed, looking healthy, was a huge relief.

He wished he could've been by Kakashi's side more over the last two weeks, and had found it incredibly hard to stay away. But he had wanted to do something special for the other man, and his little surprise had ended up being quite time consuming. But now it was finally finished and he couldn't wait for Kakashi to see it…although he was way beyond nervous about what he was going to think. What if he hated it? What if Kakashi ended up angry rather than happy? What if he laughed in his face, thinking the whole gesture was ridiculous? What if he confessed, and his feelings weren't returned?

There was a lot about the situation that terrified him, but after living through the trauma of almost losing Kakashi and their daughter, he was sure that he could handle just about anything.

"There was something that I wanted to show you." Iruka finally said after a few moments of silence had passed between them.

"What? Right now?" Kakashi asked, a little surprised by Iruka's statement…it just seemed so out of the blue after the way he had been avoiding him. "Minato and Kushina are on their way here though…and if they can't find me they're bound to have a complete break down."

"Don't worry, I already talked to them. They're not on their way anymore." Iruka answered, fidgeting with his hands nervously.

"Oh…okay." Kakashi slowly nodded, a little unsure what to make of the situation. Where was all of this coming from? Especially after how he had been so distant over the last two weeks…and why did he look so nervous? What the hell was going on? "Lead the way I guess."

The two of them walked in silence for a few moments, both trying to get a read on the other. Kakashi was trying to figure out what Iruka could possibly be up to, and Iruka was gauging Kakashi's mood as well as how he was handling the walk. The silence got a little tenser when Iruka began to notice the looks they were receiving from some of the people as they were walking down the street.

Kakashi had told him about this, about how some of the villagers reacted to him and his condition, but he had honestly never expected such blatant staring. Kakashi was one of the most respected ninja in the village after all, and had scarified a lot to keep the village and its people safe…did they all just forget about that?

Not all of the looks were negative, they were receiving several smiles, and some were looks of pity, likely because everyone had heard what had happened to Kakashi. But most of the looks were still negative, ranging from horrified, to disgusted.

Iruka could sense Kakashi tense up next to him. He knew he was a strong man, especially after everything that he had been through, but he could imagine how it would still be upsetting for people you have never met before, people you have risked your life for, to judge you so harshly for no other reason then their own prejudice.

Iruka could feel his blood begin to boil slightly, wanting nothing more than to turn around and kick the ass of anyone glaring at them, or muttering hateful things under their breaths. But he knew Kakashi wouldn't appreciate it if he made a scene, and he didn't want to taint the surprise he had for the other man, with something negative like a fight.

Instead he hesitantly moved his hand over and grabbed the other man's hand, interlocking their fingers. He needed to let Kakashi know that he was here for him, and that people could stare at them and say whatever they wanted, but that it wasn't going to scare him away. He could care less what everyone else thought, and the other man needed to know that.

Kakashi slowed his pace slightly, caught off guard by Iruka's gesture, and gave him a hesitant look. What was he doing? Did he realize what people would think? How they would likely guess that he was the father now? He knew things had already ended between Iruka and Tsubaki, but still…was he really ready for the entire village to know? Did he realize how much some people would judge him for it?

He began to pull his hand away, thinking it wasn't too late to save the younger man some humiliation, that not that many people had seen. But when he tried he was met with resistance, and just felt Iruka give his hand a tight squeeze.

The gesture sent a spark through him, and brought on a wave of a million questions. He looked over at the Chuunin only to find him looking back at him, with a smile on his face.

"We're almost there." He said simply, giving his hand another squeeze.

Kakashi just nodded dumbly, at a loss for anything else to say.

The two continued walking for a few more minutes, the amount of people thinning out as they got closer to the edge of the village. Kakashi had been so distracted by people's glares, and then by Iruka's actions, that he hadn't even noticed exactly which way it was that they had been going.

"What are we doing here?" He said, quickly realizing that they were approaching the Hatake compound, and turned to the younger man with a confused look painted on his face.

"You'll see." Iruka answered, Kakashi picking up the nerves in his voice once again. Seriously…what the hell was going on here?

The two entered the house, Kakashi having no idea how the younger man got a key. The only ones who had a copy were him and Minato…he was about to question the other man when he was instructed to close his eyes.

"What? Why?" The whole situation was getting stranger and stranger. They weren't having some sort of weird welcome home from the hospital, we're glad you didn't die, party…were they? He definitely didn't have the energy for that…

"I told you I wanted to show you something. Just trust me, okay?" Iruka said hopefully, praying that the other man wouldn't put up too much of a fuss. He received a skeptical look from Kakashi, and was beginning to think that this whole thing was a mistake…really, what right did he have to go ahead and do this without asking the other man? This was his house after all…maybe Kakashi would view this as a huge violation of his privacy, and think that Iruka stepped way over the line. What if the other man just ended up getting pissed off and stressed out, and ended up back in the hospital because of it?! He never even considered that before! What if his goodwill gesture ended up hurting him!

He began to rethink everything, trying desperately to think of some way to get out of this, when Kakashi finally relaxed and closed his eyes, holding out his hand for Iruka to lead the way. He was some what relieved by that, but couldn't help the lingering nerves, as he slowly, and carefully, lead the other man through the house.

Iruka lead him into the proper room, taking a few calming breaths to push back the last of his doubts. This was it, the moment of truth. He would reveal the surprise for Kakashi and then he would tell him exactly how he felt. And sure the older man could hate the entire thing and completely reject his feelings, but at least he had tried. And when it came to Kakashi, he would never stop trying.

"Alright, open your eyes," Iruka finally said, letting go of the other man's hand, and taking a few steps back, giving Kakashi plenty of space as he took in the room around him.

"Oh my God…" Kakashi muttered under his breath, at a complete loss for anything else to say. He literally couldn't believe his eyes…well, eye.

The room, the one that had been his as a child, the one that he had decided would be Aiko's, was now a completed nursery.

The walls were a light purple, a color he had decided early on that he would use if he indeed ended up having a girl. How did Iruka know that? Also on the walls hung several framed pictures of different animals, each more cute than the last. Including one with a family of dolphins.

The room itself was furnished with what looked like a handcrafted crib, with a matching wooden bookshelf against one wall, a changing table against another wall, and a rocking chair next to the crib. There was also a large pile of various stuffed animals and other toys in the corner next to the bookshelf.

He slowly walked into the room, not yet sure if he was dreaming or not. He ran his hand along the soft, smooth wood of the crib, his breath catching in his throat as he saw the stuffed dolphin and scarecrow Iruka had gotten him for Christmas lying within the crib.

It was hard to describe exactly what it was he felt as a huge wave of emotions washed over him.

This was more than anything he could have dreamed of or asked for. It was absolutely perfect. And before he even realized what was happening he could feel the tears sliding down his face, and his body begin to shake.

Iruka stood frozen by the door, his eyes widening in horror. Kakashi was shaking! Was he shaking in anger? Did he really hate it that much?

He didn't get long to think things over before Kakashi turned around, and Iruka realized that he hadn't been shaking in anger, but it was clear that he was crying. Which did little to ease his nerves…

Iruka was about to apologize for over stepping his bounds, when he was caught of guard by Kakashi stepping across the room and throwing his arms around his neck.

The younger man completely froze, not expecting that in the slightest, but the moment he felt the other man's arms around him his stomach gave a nervous flip and he could feel his face begin to heat up.

He could feel that the other man was still sobbing, and quickly put his arms around his back, pulling him in as close as he could for comfort…which given the size of his abdomen wasn't really that close at all.

The two of them stood there silently for a few minutes, enjoying feeling the warmth and comfort they got from the embrace.

Iruka sighed happily; he could stand here forever if he was allowed, with Kakashi wrapped tightly in his arms. He never could've imagine it was possible to feel this good simply being close to another person.

All his life he had been so sure he knew exactly what love meant. He had loved his parents, he loved his friends, and he loved Tsubaki. He was so sure that the love and happiness he had felt with her could never be beat, that she was his soul mate, the person he was suppose to be with for the rest of his life. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized what they had shared had been a friendship. A strong, deep friendship, but a friendship nonetheless…

Because being here now, with Kakashi, had surpassed anything he had ever felt before. If he had any doubts before, they were all gone now. This was love.

"Do you like it?" He asked nervously, after the two of them finally pulled away so they could look at each other, although they both kept their arms around the other.

"I love it." Kakashi sniffed, bringing one of his stiff arms up to wipe away the last of his tears, before once again resting his arm on Iruka's shoulder.

He wasn't ready to lose the contact he had with the other man, for it had been something that he had been desiring, craving, for so long. And finally getting the chance to be this close to him was indescribable.

He felt his stomach give a flip, and he wasn't sure if it was Aiko moving around, or his nerves getting the better of him.

"You really mean that? Because I was worried that I might have crossed a line…I mean this is your house, and maybe I didn't have a right to do this with out asking you first. I really wanted to do something special for you though, because-because you deserve it…and I got Kushina's help of course…I wouldn't have just come in here and decorated blindly with out getting some kind of idea what you…" Iruka began rambling nervously, not able to stop himself once he started.

It wasn't until Kakashi pressed a finger to his lips to silence him that he finally stopped.

"I really do love it. That was an incredibly sweet gesture." Kakashi said smoothly, slightly amused by the worry in the other man's face, which quickly melted away at the reassurance.

"It makes me so happy to hear that." Iruka says quietly, making the bold move of leaning his forehead against the other man's. He instantly began to worry that he should have taken his forehead protector off, and hoping that it wasn't hurting the other man in any way, who at the moment wasn't wearing his. He hadn't worn his since he was admitted into the hospital, no longer needing it to cover his sharingan…although he was still wearing an eye patch, not feeling the need to make people uncomfortable at the sight of his now eye less eye.

But he returned the action, and leaned back against him, so he figured that it was probably all right.

"I felt like words wouldn't be enough, after everything that we've been through. I wanted to do something special to show you how I really felt." Iruka said quietly, almost afraid if he spoke any louder he might scare the other man away.

Kakashi's heart began racing, and he could feel all his nerves begin to tingle in is body. Was Iruka really about to say what he thought he was going to say?

"This has been a long time coming, and I just hate that it took me this long to realize it. But the more time I spent with you, the more I was sure…and then when I thought I might lose you…it just…it nearly killed me. I can't picture my life with out you now Kakashi. Every time that I close my eyes and think about my future, all I see is you and Aiko. God I just…I just…" He trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I just love you so damn much." He finished, squeezing his eyes shut, afraid to see the other man's reaction.

He couldn't believe he had finally said it. After months of confusion and inner turmoil, and weeks of fear and anxiety, he had finally told Kakashi how he felt. Now all he could do was wait, and pray the other man wasn't about to burst out laughing and call him an idiot.

But instead of laughter, he felt a warm, calloused hand, on his cheek, his thumb stroking small circles along his cheekbone.

Iruka could feel his breathing begin to pick up at the contact, and took the chance of slowly opening his eyes.

He came face to face with the other man, and saw that tears had once again appeared in his one exposed eye.

"You don't know how badly I've wanted to hear you say that." Kakashi says, surprising himself with how even he was able to keep his voice, considering the fact that he could feel the damn tears rolling down his cheek once again…he seriously couldn't wait to get rid of these hormones.

He might have thought that this was all some sort of dream, if he didn't still feel some lingering aches and pains throughout his body, not to mention the heat he could feel radiating off Iruka, there's no way his mind could make that up.

"I had given up on the idea of ever feeling like this about someone. I was so sure I was going to be alone, and I was content with that…but then you came along and gave me this amazing gift," he said, bringing one of his hands to his abdomen, "And you awoke something in me, something that I had thought was long dead. You made me love something for the first time in years, and as a result opened up my mind and heart to the idea of happiness…I tried so hard to push these feelings away, thinking they made me weak, but…" He trails off, his emotions finally getting the better of him.

Iruka brings his hand up to Kakashi's cheek, wiping away the tears from underneath his exposed eye.

Kakashi leans into the touch, feeling himself calming down almost instantly.

"I was going to say, I thought they made me weak, but despite everything that has happened, I've never felt stronger in my life. And…I love you too." He had thought about saying those words hundreds of times, but to actually say them to the other man, after hearing him confess his feelings first, was truly indescribable.

Iruka felt his heart stop, if only for a minute, when Kakashi said those words. It was almost hard to believe that the person he cared about so dearly returned his feelings. This is of course what he had hoped and prayed for, but now that it was a reality, he couldn't even begin to describe what he felt, except for maybe whole. For the first time in his life he felt whole.

The younger man, who's hand was still on the older man's face, hooked his finger around his face mask, and when he didn't receive any objections, slowly slid it down, exposing the rest of his face.

He could feel his stomach give a pleasant flip at the sight, and couldn't help but think that Kakashi had gotten even more beautiful than the last time he had seen him. He ran his fingers along his now exposed cheeks, before taking the chance to run his thumb along Kakashi's lips. They were soft, just like he remembered them, and when he heard Kakashi give a low sigh, he couldn't control himself anymore…he leaned his face forward and didn't hesitate before pressing his lips against the other man's.

Kakashi instantly melted into the kiss, bringing one of his hands up to the back of Iruka's neck, pulling him in even closer.

A spark was sent flying threw both of their bodies, and this kiss was like nothing either of them had ever experienced before, because this kiss was with someone they truly loved.

Iruka wrapped his arms around Kakashi's waist, pulling the other man's body until it was completely flush with his own, feeling the curve of Kakashi's stomach against his.

The kiss began to deepen slightly, Iruka running his tongue along Kakashi's bottom lip, pulling it into his mouth and giving it a small bite. The sensation caused Kakashi to gasp, giving Iruka's tongue the chance to enter his mouth. Kakashi moaned upon feeling Iruka's tongue sliding along his own, loving the taste the other man provided.

But before the kiss could get any deeper, both men paused, before slowly pulling apart.

"Did you feel that?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, that was one hell of a kick," Iruka laughed, having felt Aiko kick against his abdomen.

"I think she's happy," Kakashi said wistfully, bringing his hand down to his stomach, rubbing gently in the place he had felt the surprisingly strong kick.

"Happy that we're going to be a real family." Iruka said, placing his hand on top of Kakashi's.

"A real family." Kakashi repeated, the words sounding so foreign to him, causing another wave of emotions to hit him. Him, Iruka, and their precious daughter, the three of them were going to be a real family. And he couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with them.

"Oh, before I forget," Kakashi said, a random thought suddenly coming to him. He lifted one of his arms and smacked Iruka in the back of the head. Not hard enough to hurt the other man, and with his weakened arms he probably couldn't hurt him if he tried, but hard enough to leave the Chuunin rubbing the back of his head confused.

"What was that for?"

"Something your father asked me to do…" He said, realizing how crazy that must have sounded, and wasn't surprised when he received a confused wide-eyed look from the other man. "Your mother also wanted me to tell you that they love and accept you no matter what."

"What are you talking about…" Iruka said, and Kakashi was sure he thought he was insane. But he told Iruka's parents that he would tell him, and seeing as they were kind of, sort of, like his in-laws now, he certainly wasn't going to disobey them.

"Just something they told me when I was on the other side…I mean, I don't even know if it was real, or just my dying mind making up things, but it felt real at the time, and well, yeah…message delivered." He trailed off awkwardly, looking away from the younger man in embarrassment. Did he just completely ruin the moment?

Iruka's confused look of bewilderment slowly faded away, and was replaced with a warm smile. He had no idea if it was real either, but the words Kakashi told him sounded like his mother, and the smack to the back of the head sounded like his father…so it was comforting to know that if Kakashi really did talk to his parents that they really did accept this.

"Thank you," he said softly, leaning his forehead back against the other man's, both of them taking time to enjoy the moment. After everything that happened, he could hardly believe that they were here, and now that they were, they both felt like they could truly begin living for the first time.

…

 **A/N: So there we have it! After 24 chapters they are** _ **finally**_ **together. I know it took us a while to get here, but I'm happy that you've stuck with me to get to this point. And any of you that were disappointed in the lack of kissing and touching in this chapter…just wait until the next chapter. That is when we will finally get some real action XD Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and let me know what you think.**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: I'm sorry for the wait. I've been busy, plus I may or may not have been slightly discouraged by the lack of reviews for the last chapter…it was the big moment where they finally got together so I guess I had it in my mind that it would be one of the most popular chapters, and it ended up getting fewer reviews then any other so far. I just hope that none of you were disappointed in it. Not that I'm trying to get any pity reviews, I just want to make sure you're getting the best story possible, especially now that we are reaching the end.**

 **Anyway, so here is the chapter of smut like I promised! I do have to say that I'm not really one for writing smut, I don't do it often, and I guess I'm a little nervous…I hope it's not horrible, and that you enjoy.**

…

"This is the last of it." Iruka said, brining in one final box.

"Seriously? That's all you have?" Kakashi couldn't believe that it only took the younger man two trips from the hotel he had been staying in recently to gather all of his things.

"Well I do technically own most of the furniture and stuff back at the apartment I shared with Tsubaki, but I figured you already had most of that stuff anyway and it would be pretty petty of me to take all that stuff away from her when I don't really have to…" Iruka trailed off awkwardly, feeling guilty every time his former fiancée came up. Things had been going so well with Kakashi that he didn't want to risk it by bringing up the past.

It had been just over two weeks since they had confessed their feelings to each other, and things couldn't have been going any better. In fact, they had even decided that they might as well not waste any more time and decided to move into the Hatake compound together. They figured it made sense, seeing as they had spent every night over the last two weeks together anyway, either at the hotel that Iruka had been living in, or at Minato and Kushina's.

And after being cockblocked one too many times by the redheaded woman, or her hyperactive son, they decided that this was for the best. The baby was coming in two months anyway, and after she did they were planning on living together, so it made sense to get a jump on it. Although most would probably find it crazy to move in with each other after only two weeks of dating, their circumstances weren't exactly normal, and after everything they had been through, they didn't want to waste any more time.

"That makes sense." Kakashi nodded in understanding. Even though he was incredibly happy with how things turned out, he knew that Tsubaki had been wronged in the process, and he was happy to avoid bringing the woman anymore pain. He could only imagine how painful it would be to lose Iruka now, and they had only been together two weeks, whereas Tsubaki had been with him for 5 years. And with the guilt the woman likely felt about tricking him out of the village, she was already living with more pain then she deserved.

"How are you feeling?" Iruka asked, deciding a change of subject was in order. He walked over to the bed where his pregnant boyfriend was currently lying, taking a seat next to him. It still sent a rush of joy through him every time he thought of Kakashi as his boyfriend. He still sometimes couldn't believe that they were actually together, and constantly found himself afraid that he was going to wake up and it was all going to end up being some sort of dream.

"Pretty good, considering your daughter keeps treating my internal organs as her own personal punching bags." Kakashi laughed, feeling another strong kick. As uncomfortable as it could be sometimes, he was all too happy to experience the kicks, because it just meant that his daughter was healthy and strong, which was certainly better then the alternative that he was almost forced to face just over a month ago.

"Are you hurting your papa?" Iruka asked, placing his hand on Kakashi's abdomen, rubbing gentle circles.

Kakashi sighed at the contact, always loving when Iruka would rub his stomach. No matter how uncomfortable he was, the other man's touch always seemed to be able to take most of the pain away.

Iruka smiled seeing how relaxed the older man looked. He decided to lie down next to him, continuing the rubbing as he did so. He had planned to finish unpacking his boxes before settling down for the night, but decided that could wait for the morning.

"That feels so good," Kakashi practically moaned, causing Iruka's stomach to give a pleasant flip. He knew the other man probably didn't mean for that to come off as sexual, but Iruka couldn't help his mind wandering in that direction anyway.

Even though they had been sharing a bed every night for the past two weeks, it was more about the need to be close to each other, needing the comfort the other brought after everything they had been through. But the truth was, other than a few heated kisses, things hadn't gone any further than that. Kakashi was always either too tired, or if things seemed to be headed in that direction Kushina or Naruto had a habit of making an appearance. But now that there weren't any more obstacles, both men grew very aware of that fact.

Kakashi looked over at Iruka, to see the other man already staring at him. He could see the lustful look in his eyes, which caused a wave of arousal to wash over him.

He didn't know if it was the hormones, or the fact that he was now with the man he loved, but he seemed to be getting turned on ridiculously easily lately. He had even found himself getting turned on simply by Iruka looking at him or speaking to him, it didn't even have to be in a sexual way.

There had been one time that he had been sitting at the kitchen table sipping a cup of herbal tea and reading a news paper, when Iruka simply walked into the room, and Kakashi had a vivid day dream of ripping both of their clothes off and doing it right then and there on the kitchen table. Although the fact that they had been at Minato and Kushina's, and that Naruto had also been sitting at the table, derailed any further fantasies.

But the fact was that he wanted it, and he wanted it bad, and now that there was nothing to get in their way he could feel the heat pool in his stomach, and could feel his lower region coming to life.

Iruka leaned in, placing a soft, barely there kiss on the other man's lips, before pulling away, seeing the look of longing on his face.

"This is our first night living together in your house," Iruka said, his hand subtly moving from Kakashi's abdomen, to his side, gently stroking it up and down.

"Don't be an idiot, this isn't my house…it's our house." Kakashi breathed out, placing his hand on the other man's chest, loving the feeling of the toned muscles underneath his hand.

"But…" Iruka began, but was quickly cut off by Kakashi pressing his lips against his, silencing any sort of protest. Iruka smiled into the kiss, knowing better then to argue with the older man once he had made up his mind about something. It might take time to see this house as theirs instead of his, but as long as Kakashi was there with him, then this place would always be home.

The kiss started off slow, almost innocent, but it didn't take long for it to grow more heated and needy. Both of them feeling the sexual tension that had lingered between them for the past few months coming to its peak.

Iruka gently pushed Kakashi down so that he was now lying on his back, carefully straddling his hips, and hovering his upper body above the other man's, being careful not to crush his abdomen in anyway. He reattached their lips hungrily, sucking Kakashi's lower lip into his mouth, giving it a playful bite.

Kakashi gasped, giving Iruka's tongue a chance to enter his mouth. Their tongues slowly explored each other's mouths, as their hands began exploring each other's bodies.

Kakashi unzipped Iruka's vest and untied his forehead protector, tossing both items to the floor with ease. Iruka returned the favor by removing both of their shirts, leaving them both naked from the waist up.

Kakashi was a little embarrassed about his body, his abdomen seeming insanely large to him in that moment. The briefest flicker of doubt crossed his mind, but Iruka must have seen it, because he gave him a soft kiss and smiled.

"You're beautiful," he breathed out, causing a smile to appear on Kakashi's face.

Normally he might have argued with a statement like that, saying that he wasn't 'beautiful' because he was a man dammit…but he knew exactly what Iruka had meant. And in that moment, he couldn't help but feel how beautiful Iruka also was.

Iruka trailed kisses down his jaw and neck, until he reached the other man's chest. He placed a few kisses there, before taking the other man's nipple into his mouth.

This caused Kakashi to moan and arch his back at the sensation, his chest still incredibly sensitive. Iruka seemed to be spurred on by the response, bringing one of his hands up to Kakashi's other nipple, giving it a playful squeeze between his thumb and index finger.

Kakashi yelped, as a new wave of arousal shot through him. He could feel that his member had fully hardened at his point, and was a little embarrassed by how turned on he was getting by this.

Iruka continued to suck and lick, feeling himself harden simply because of the sounds coming out of the other man's mouth.

He ground his hips down, feeling Kakashi's arousal slide against his own. It was still somewhat of a strange feeling, being with another man, something he hadn't completely gotten use to yet. But it was strange in a good way because he was with the person he loved and it felt better then he could've ever imagined.

"Stop, please stop," Kakashi panted, pushing the other man away from his chest.

"Is something wrong? Are you okay?" Iruka said, concern instantly filling his mind.

"I'm fine." Kakashi said, feeling his cheeks begin to heat up, "It's just that I'm a little sensitive…in the chest, and this really isn't going to last long if you keep up what you're doing."

"Oh, I see," Iruka said his panic quickly vanishing, thinking Kakashi looked adorable in his obvious embarrassment. "We wouldn't want that." He teased, giving one of his nipples another squeeze with his fingers.

"Seriously," Kakashi moaned, "It's too much. I won't last."

Iruka's arousal throbbed hearing Kakashi's pleading voice, and realized he was probably in a similar boat as the other man. This had been a long time coming for both of them, and he had a feeling neither one of them were going to last all that long.

So he obliged and moved his hands away from the older man's chest, deciding instead to rid them of their pants.

He saw Kakashi's hardened member spring free, smacking his swollen abdomen. His member was red and already leaking from his arousal.

This was his first time seeing another man's penis like this, other than during their drunken night together, but the details of that night were still cloudy, so that didn't count. He had always figured the sight of this would be a turn off, and that it was just something that he would have to get use to if he wanted to be with Kakashi.

But seeing Kakashi's throbbing, red, erection was far from a turn off. It was physical proof of the pleasure he was brining to the other man, and he found himself incredibly turned on at the sight.

He hesitantly began to stroke the other man's erection, but quickened his movements upon hearing the moans it earned. A thought entered his mind, about something he wanted to try, and decided to go for it before he psyched himself out of it.

He lowered himself so his face was level with the other man's arousal. He only hesitated for a second, before giving the head an experimental lick. The taste was definitely different, but wasn't all around unpleasant, so he took the tip into his mouth, and swirled his tongue around it.

"Shit!" Kakashi moaned, needing to restrain himself from bucking his hips forward. He knew that the other man was still fairly new to this, and the last thing he wanted to do was discourage him by accidently choking him.

Iruka grew more confident hearing the other man's response, so he took him even deeper into his mouth, running his tongue along the shaft as he did.

He had never done this before, but had learned enough having it done to him that he knew what to do and what to avoid. So he hollowed out his cheeks, being careful of his teeth, before he began bobbing his head up and down.

He felt extremely proud from the response he was getting from Kakashi, whose hand was now in his hair, and who was moaning and cursing under his breath.

"Shit, I'm not going to last," he breathed out, "Seriously Iruka…"

He was cut off when the brunette man brought one of his hands back up and began rubbing his chest, as his head continued bobbing up and down, sucking harder and faster.

"Fuck, are you trying to make me…shit get off I'm going to cum! I'm…" He moaned, and couldn't help but buck his hips forward as he felt his orgasm over take him.

Iruka ignored the other man's protests to get off, and continued sucking until he swallowed every last drop of what Kakashi had to offer. The taste certainly wasn't the best thing in the world, but as long as it was Kakashi, he didn't mind.

"What the hell," Kakashi panted, "not that I didn't enjoy that…but I thought we were going to try and make it last."

"Well I figured it's been such a long time coming that it wouldn't be hard to get you motivated for a second round."

Iruka demonstrated this, after giving Kakashi a second to recover, be reattaching his lip to the other man's, and sliding one of his hands down the other man's back, teasingly stroking his entrance.

It didn't take long for Kakashi's arousal to twitch back to life, with his hormones as out of balance as they were all Iruka probably had to do was speak for him to get turned on again. He had embarrassingly asked Kushina about this the other day, and apparently it was completely normal for him to be a little more…excitable, during this stage of his pregnancy. He hurriedly pulled out the lube he had stashed in the bedside table drawer, handing it over to the other man.

Iruka accepted the bottle, popping the lid off and pouring some in his hand, generously coating three of his fingers. He might not remember all of the details of their first time together, but he remembered enough to know the basics of how this worked. Plus he may, or may not have done a little research into the subject after he and Kakashi had officially gotten together. That had certainly been an embarrassing trip to the bookstore…

He slid his first finger into Kakashi's entrance, making sure he adjusted to it before he began moving it around.

Kakashi had almost forgotten what it felt like to have something inside of him, the night he had spent with Iruka 7 months ago was the first time he had ever bottomed in his life, and even that memory was a little hazy.

But he quickly found that he didn't mind the feeling at all, it was a lot better then he imagined it would be. He could definitely see himself getting use to this feeling.

He nodded in approval when Iruka gave him a questioning look, before he added a second finger. This one was a little more painful, but it still wasn't that bad, and after taking a second to adjust to it, he nodded again giving Iruka permission to move them around.

He pumped them in and out of him, scissoring them apart a few times. He curled them in a bit, and that caused a wave of pleasure to hit Kakashi hard.

"Right there," he moaned, biting his lip to keep from shouting, as Iruka found his prostate again. He was definitely beginning to understand why some men preferred to bottom, he never realized what an amazing feeling it could be.

Iruka added a third and final finger, growing more and more anxious as the pleasure filled moans continued to come from the other man, and prayed that he would be able to hold on long enough to finish what he started.

After a few minutes of letting Kakashi adjust to the third finger, he pulled them all out, leaving the older man feeling empty. Iruka grabbed the lube again and slicked up his erection, before freezing above the other man.

He quickly realized that this wasn't the best position to do this in. With Kakashi's swollen stomach, he wasn't sure if he would be able to properly do this at that angle. He began to contemplate his options, when Kakashi saw his hesitation and understood. He had been so wrapped up in the moment that he hadn't thought about that himself.

So he decided to make things easier for the younger man and got to his knees before turning around, so his back was now facing the other man. He leaned forward to get support from the headboard, and spread his legs apart, giving the other man plenty of room.

Iruka moaned, nearly losing himself at the sight. It was just so…erotic, and he couldn't keep his hands to himself a moment longer.

He lined himself up with Kakashi's entrance, slowly pushing the head of his length into the other man. He paused for a moment before he continued to slide in slowly, wanting Kakashi to be able to adjust to the size; the last thing he wanted was for this to be a painful experience for him.

Once Iruka was fully inside Kakashi, he moved his hips experimentally, causing the older man to emit an audible moan. Kakashi nodded after a moment, letting Iruka know that he was ready whenever he was.

Iruka attached his lips to the other man's neck, as he began to slowly thrust in and out of his entrance. The more Kakashi began to moan, the faster Iruka decided to thrust his hips, building up a friction that was causing the heat in both of their stomachs to begin to boil.

Iruka continued thrusting as fast as he could, while still ensuring that he wasn't being too rough on the older man. But if the response he was getting was anything to go by, he assumed he was going at the right pace.

The rhythm continued for close to two more minutes before both men could feel they were on the brink of orgasm. Iruka reached around the other man, grabbing his arousal and giving it a few firm pumps. This action quickly pushed Kakashi over the edge, and he came for the second time that night, moaning the other man's name as he did.

Kakashi clenched himself during his orgasm, which was enough to push Iruka over the edge as well.

"Kakashi," he moaned, giving a few final, slow pumps, milking the moment for all it was worth.

He pulled himself out of the other man's body after his climax began to subside, before helping Kakashi turn back around and lie down. He fell down next to him, enjoying their post orgasm bliss together, exchanging a few lazy kisses.

After a few moments Kakashi rolled over so that his head was on the other man's chest, and wrapped one of his arms around his waist, sighing in absolute contentment.

"That was incredible." Kakashi murmured, his face buried in Iruka's neck.

"I couldn't agree with you more," Iruka smiled, placing a kiss on the top of the other man's head.

He couldn't recall ever feeling that good during sex. Sure all the times he had been with Tsubaki had been great, it wasn't like she was bad in bed by any means, but after experiencing that with Kakashi, he realized something had been missing all the times he had been with Tsubaki.

"So, how was your first sober experience with another man?" Kakashi questioned after a few minutes of simply enjoying feeling the other man's warm body beside him.

"It was the most amazing feeling I think I've ever had," Iruka replied honestly, feeling the smile from the other man against his neck.

"Just wait until after the baby is born and I can really show you what I can do." Kakashi purred, causing Iruka to shiver.

He couldn't even imagine how things could get any better then that, but he was looking forward to finding out.

The two of them exchanged a few more words, and gentle kisses, before exhaustion over took Kakashi and he drifted off to sleep. Iruka beamed down at the other man, his heart swelling at the sight and realization that Kakashi was his, and held on to that thought as he drifted off into sleep himself.

…

 **A/N: So I hope the smut wasn't too horrible. I was worried about putting it in at all, but I figured I owed you guys some action, haha. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and would really like to hear what you think. There is only about 3-4 chapters left, including the epilogue, I hope you guys are as excited for the end as I am! It's exciting to be getting to the end, especially since this is the longest fanfiction I have ever written (I've written quite a few on another site for the band Tokio Hotel if anyone happens to be interested in that…I could link you to my page) but yeah it's exciting to actually finish a story this long. It will be over 100,000 words by the time I'm done, which may seem short to some, but it's long for me. But I'm rambling now…**

 **Quick random question…what do you guys think about writing the 'birth' as a 'natural' one? Or is that just too weird?**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I appreciated them all. And I was also glad to hear the smut wasn't completely horrible, so thank you for that! As for the question I posed as to how the birth should happen, I got people on both sides of the fence, so we shall have to see. We won't be finding out this chapter, but in the next. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

The next two months seemed to fly by as Kakashi and Iruka easily settled into their new routines.

Iruka had stopped his work at the mission room for now, wanting to spend as much extra time with Kakashi as he could. But he still had to work at the academy, although Minato had helped him set up a replacement that would be ready at a moments notice when the time arrived and Kakashi went into labor.

Things had been a little difficult at the academy at first when the news had spread around about him and Kakashi, a few of the children's parents becoming uncomfortable with him teaching their children. Most of them learned to accept it, knowing how much their kids loved their teacher, but for the few that couldn't accept it, the academy board had allowed them to change classes. Thankfully there weren't many who felt that way, and things seemed to settle down nicely after that and return to normal.

Kakashi spent most of his days with Kushina, who had still been paranoid about him being alone for too long, which Kakashi actually didn't mind. The larger he got the more difficult it became for him to do most things, so he appreciated the extra help.

And on days where Kushina didn't come by, he was given a device invented by Lady Tsunade, which consisted of a button, that when he pressed it, it would alternate the hospital, as well as Iruka and Minato, who all had devices of their own. That way if he went into labor, or something else happened, and no one was around, help would be on the way instantly.

It was definitely reassuring, and brought him a peace of mind…especially since Kohaku and Kagura were still out there, so it was nice to know that if they some how managed to get through the extra security set up by the village that he could call for help immediately.

He still had nightmares about what had happened to him while he was captured, as much as he hated to admit it. He hated that they still held any sort of power over him, and that there was still a small amount of fear creeping in the back of his mind.

As a highly trained shinobi, he was taught how to deal with situations similar to that, and he had experienced more than his share of pain in the past, but this time was different. It was different because it wasn't only his life that was almost lost, it was Aiko's, which is exactly what all the nightmares had been about. It wasn't Kohaku and Kagura coming back for _him,_ because that he could deal with that, it was them coming back for _her_ , which was something he feared above all else.

But despite that lingering fear, he knew he would be ready if that time ever came, and that he wouldn't be alone. He would have Iruka and countless others ready to help him defend her with everything they had, and that was more than reassuring.

"What do we want to eat?" Kakashi asked out loud, rubbing his protruding abdomen. He opened the fridge and scanned its contents, seeing a sandwich wrapped up. He smiled; Iruka must have prepared it for him, knowing that Kushina wasn't coming over today, and knowing how hard it was for him to be on his feet for an extended period of time. "That was nice of daddy, wasn't it?" He asked, pulling the sandwich out. He saw that it was ham, which was something that he had been craving a lot over the last few days, but as he brought the sandwich up to his mouth, and caught a smell of it, he pulled it back finding the whole thing very unappealing at the moment.

He wrapped it up again and sighed, feeling a little bad about not wanting to eat it, but knew that it wasn't likely to go to waste, he was sure he would have the urge to eat it later.

"If you don't want the sandwich, then what would you like missy?" He asked, contemplating what it was he actually felt like. "Ramen…" He decided, the thought instantly making him drool. But not just any ramen, it had to be Ichiraku's ramen, nothing else seemed appealing in that moment.

"I don't know…we probably shouldn't go out alone…" He said out loud, hearing his stomach give an audible groan. "What if we just eat the sandwich now and get daddy to take us for ramen for dinner?"

He tried to argue, a little hesitant about wanting to go out in public alone. It wasn't like it was that far of a walk, and he was sure he could handle it. He was more worried about being out alone with the town's people.

It had been a few months since word of his pregnancy had gotten out, so some of the shocked looks he had received at first and begun to lessen. Most people had gotten use to the idea, and more or less ignored him when he went out now. And those who still chose to say something usually regretted it because who ever he was with at the time, whether it was Kushina, Minato, or Iruka, would make them regret saying it.

So he wasn't sure what people's reactions would be if he were to go out alone...

"What do you say, can we wait?" He asked out loud again, feeling his abdomen cramp up in response. "What the hell…"

It wasn't exactly painful, but it was definitely an uncomfortable feeling. He had been getting similar pains like this recently, the further he got along in his pregnancy. The first time it had happened he had freaked out and Iruka rushed him to the hospital, only to get laughed at by Lady Tsunade who explained what Braxton hix contractions were. He had gotten them a few more times over the last week or so, but knew since he was still nearly two weeks away from being due that this was likely nothing.

"Are you bullying me into going to get ramen?" He laughed as the pain subsided. "Fine, but if your daddy gets mad at me, then I'm blaming you."

He grabbed his keys and wallet and began the short walk to the ramen stand. He was pleased to find that the streets were relatively empty, and other than an odd look or two he made it to Ichiraku's without incident.

The girl behind the counter greeted him kindly; she always treated him well whenever he came by, which over the last few weeks was quite regularly. It seemed ramen had been one of his biggest cravings, something he knew he had in common with Kushina, who had practically eaten nothing by ramen over the last few weeks of her pregnancy…a taste that had apparently been past down to the 5 year old Naruto, who would eat nothing but ramen if his parents let him.

He finished his meal and thanked the father and daughter that ran the place, before starting the walk back, but unfortunately, unlike the way there, the streets seemed to be far more crowded, and he seemed to be getting more than a couple of glares.

"The village freak is out for a little walk." One man, who looked to be in his forties, snorted, causing the other three men that were with him to laugh.

"I'm surprised he can even stand, look how huge he is!" Another one from the group said.

He was a little surprised to see men of this age stooping down to something like this, it was usually those a little younger that had the nerve to say anything, those a little older usually just settled for dirty looks. But either way, he decided he wasn't going to stand around and listen to this, especially when he felt another cramp, though he did everything he could to keep any signs of discomfort off of his face, showing them weakness was the last thing he wanted to do.

He started to walk away, but could hear the voices continue talking behind him.

"Where's your faggy little boyfriend?"

"Yeah, the one who cheated on his hot fiancée with you."

"Who would cheat on a beautiful woman with that freak? That guy must be seriously messed up."

The men laughed, and Kakashi froze in his tracks. He knew he shouldn't let it bother him, and that he had heard a lot worse things said about him before, but this was the first time he had heard anyone insult Iruka, and it caused his blood to boil.

"Shut your goddamn mouths!" He snapped, turning around.

The men actually stopped laughing at that, caught off guard by Kakashi's response, but that didn't stop them for long.

"And who's going to make us?" One of the men sneered, taking a few steps closer to Kakashi, who had instantly regretted saying anything.

He knew he couldn't fight, not even against non-shinobi like these guys. He stuck his hand in his pocket for the emergency button, but to his horror realized that he didn't have it. How could he have forgotten it at home?! The whole point of the damn thing was for situations like this!

He began to panic a little, but reminded himself that they were in the middle of the street, and no matter how stupid these guys seemed, there was no way that they would be big enough idiots to attack him with so many witnesses. Plus it was no secret that he was a good friend of the Hokage, so he was sure they knew what the consequences would be.

"You should really watch your mouth you stupid fucking faggot," the man hissed, and actually went so far as to spit in his face. Thanks to his facemask, none of it actually got on him, but still, he was frozen in complete shock at the action. Was this guy for real?

But before he could think of anything to say, or a way to get out of this, he saw a leg appear out of no where, kicking the guy that had insulted him in the gut, causing him to double over in pain.

Kakashi's eyes snapped over to see the person who the kick belonged to, and nearly choked on a gasp when he realized who it was. It was literally the last person he had ever expected to come to his defense. In fact, she was the one person in the village that had reason to hate him more than anyone.

"Are you idiots really as stupid as you look?" Tsubaki snapped, giving another one of the men who advanced on her a strong kick to the jaw, almost knocking him out. "Might I remind you who this is? This is Hatake Kakashi! One of the strongest shinobi of the hidden leaf! And even though he might not be in any condition to fight now, it won't be long until he is, and do you really want to go and make an enemy out of a Jounin level ninja? I never even made it to the Chuunin level, and even I can kick your asses with out much effort, so if I was you, I would think before running my mouth off."

"Aren't you the chick who's fiancée dumped her for this faggot?" The man who had already been kicked in the gut asked, only to regret it, when a fist was thrown in his face. He eyes began to water, and his nose had no doubt been broken.

"Let's get the hell out of here." One of them said, getting nods of agreement from the others.

"Remember what I said assholes!" Tsubaki shouted at their retreating forms. She turned around to see the stunned silent man, staring at her in utter confusion. "Are you okay?" She asked, which seemed to snap him out of his frozen state.

"Umm…yeah. I'm fine…t-thank you for that." He stuttered out nervously. Why would she defend him? What was going on here? Did she have ulterior motives?

As if reading his thoughts, Tsubaki answered, "Don't look so nervous, I'm not here to cause trouble or anything. I might not have forgiven you or Iruka for how things turned out, but I don't know…I still feel responsible for everything that happened to you, and well, I know you're a good person, and you don't deserve to be treated the way those pigs were treating you."

"I appreciate it," he said, relaxing a bit at her words. "And you know you're not to blame for what happened, right?"

"I know, and plenty of people have told me the same thing, but it's still hard to completely accept…but the fact that you ended up alright is a huge relief."

They stood there in silence for a few moments, and Kakashi contemplated whether or not he should say anything else to her, or if that would only make things more awkward.

As he thought about it, another cramp hit him, but unlike the other ones, this one seemed to be a lot sharper and more painful. He couldn't help but wince at the feeling, doubling over slightly, as his hand flew to his abdomen.

"Are you alright? Those guys didn't hurt you did they?" Tsubaki asked, a small amount of panic and concern seeping into her voice.

"No…I'm fine. Just a little cramp," he tried to laugh it off, but the pain hadn't subsided yet, and it seems he didn't do a very good job of keeping the pain out of his voice, because Tsubaki shot him a look that said 'bullshit'.

"I'm just getting near the end of the pregnancy, so I've been getting these false contractions, but it's nothing to worry about." He said, a little more calmly this time, straightening up as the pain subsided.

"Are you sure they're false ones?" She asked skeptically.

"Yeah, I mean, I'm still two weeks away from being due, it's too early for it to be the real thing." He said, breathing a little easier as the pain once again passed.

"It's not like women don't go into early labor you know…" she deadpanned, but decided to change the subject when she saw the worried look on the man's face. "Why don't you come sit down with me on the bench over there, and just take it easy for a few minutes before you decide to walk home?"

"Alright," Kakashi agreed, following the raven-haired woman to a nearby bench. He was sure it was nothing to worry about, and would have preferred not to spend any more time with Tsubaki then he had to, the whole thing still way too awkward, but after she had come to his defense he would have felt like a complete asshole if he were to refuse her.

The two sat in a tense silence for a few moments, before Tsubaki decided to speak.

"So, how has Iruka been?" She asked, and senses how uncomfortable that question made the man, but she didn't really care. The whole situation might have been weird and fucked up, but she never stopped caring for her former fiancée and was curious to know how he's doing.

"He's been good," he answered slowly, deciding that that was the best answer. The truth was he had been far better then good, but he didn't want to come off like a complete asshole by bragging to her about how wonderful things were.

"That's good to hear." She answered, and meant it. A couple of months ago if she had heard the same answer she would have been furious, wanting nothing more than her former fiancée to be miserable, because that is exactly how she had felt after he had broken her heart. But over the last few months she was slowly able to get past some of the heartache and began to accept the situation for what it was.

She still wasn't completely over it, not by any means, and she wasn't sure she would ever be, but she was in a place now where she didn't feel the urge to strangle or punch Iruka or Kakashi any time she might pass by them on the street. And when it came right down to it, a part of her would always care for her former fiancée, and in the end she really did want was best for him, even if that meant finding happiness with another.

And at least the person he chose to be with was a man…most women might not have found that to be a positive thing if they were in her situation, but to her, she would rather he end up with a man then another woman. Because if he ended up leaving her for another woman, then it would have been an insult, like saying she wasn't good enough, or that she wasn't attractive enough…but the fact that he left her for a man, she could just pretend he was secretly gay all along and that there was nothing she could do about it. Which was a feeling she could almost live with. That it wasn't her fault that her fiancée turned out to prefer dudes. Whether that was exactly true or not was irrelevant…she would stick to that thought process anyway.

A few more minutes had passed by, and Kakashi was about to say that it appeared he was fine, so that he could get out of there, when another pain struck him. He hissed at the feeling, almost feeling like he had just been stabbed in the abdomen…and he wasn't exaggerating because he literally knew what if felt like to be stabbed in the abdomen.

"Shit, that one was even worse." He winced, as the cramp continued, desperately trying to rub the pain away with his hand.

"You should go to the hospital." Tsubaki suggested, seeing how much pain the man must have been in. "It might not be false contractions…"

"It's too early!" He insisted, cutting her off.

She was about to tell him to stop being such a baby and just go to the damn hospital, when she saw the flash of fear in his eye, and felt a slight pang of sympathy for the silver-haired man.

"It might be too early, but babies don't usually come exactly on their due date…they come when they're ready." She said, softening her tone to try and keep the man calm.

"B-but I'm not ready." Kakashi stuttered out, wincing as another pain hit him, this one lasting even longer, and seemed to radiate further down his abdomen, all the way down to his groin area.

"I hate to say it Kakashi, but whether you're ready or not, it looks like it's coming."

"Shit…" Kakashi cursed, and couldn't believe the situation he was in. Did he really just go into labor next to the woman that was previously engaged to the father of his child? Did the fates really hate him enough to do this to him?

"Can you stand?" Tsubaki questioned, getting up herself, and reaching out a hand to Kakashi. As much as she didn't want to be here right now, she couldn't exactly leave the man alone in the middle of the street if he was going into labor. He would probably tell Iruka what happened, and he would no doubt hate her for it, and she was hoping to one day to maybe salvage some sort of friendship. Not only that, but she still felt like she owed Kakashi for what she did…she wasn't sure she would ever be able to make up for that.

"I think so," Kakashi said hesitantly, taking the offered hand and slowly getting to his feet. He took a couple of steps and seemed to be fine, when another pain hit him, causing him to nearly fall over. He was beyond embarrassed to need Tsubaki's help to sit back down on the bench.

"I guess that's a no…" the woman sighed weighing her options. The hospital wasn't that far, she could maybe run there for help. But then she would have to leave Kakashi alone, and she could see how scared he already was, and she didn't want to make this situation any worse for him.

She was about to stop a random person passing by for help when another idea came to her. She grabbed a tissue from her purse, along with a pen, and wrote down a quick message, before doing the necessary hand signs, and slamming her hand to the ground.

A small owl appeared in a puff of smoke, and Tsubaki quickly tied the tissue around its ankle. "I want you to fly to the academy and deliver this to Iruka. It's important. You remember what Iruka looks like, don't you?"

She received a nod from the bird, before throwing it in the air.

She turned back to see Kakashi hunched over, his arms wrapped around his abdomen, and a look of pain painted on his face.

"Help is on the way," she said as comfortingly as she could, but knew it probably didn't do much to ease any of his worry. She felt genuinely bad for the man, and hoped that Iruka got her message quickly.

…

"And those are the hand signs required to do a clone jutsu. I want everyone to practice them a few times, before we try them out for real." Iruka instructed.

He stood back, examining if they were doing them right, when he heard a small tap at the window. He looked over and saw a small snowy owl, instantly recognizing it as one of Tsubaki's summons. He had no idea what it would be doing here, but went over to open the window when he heard it tap again.

It didn't take him long to notice the tissue tied around it's ankle, and carefully removed it and read it. His eyes doubled in size, and he could swear he felt his heart stop.

He read the note a couple more times in almost a trance like state, when the meaning fully sank in. He instantly ran out of the room, leaving all his students staring at him in utter confusion.

He quickly knocked on the classroom next door and told the teacher his situation, before he sprinted out of the building, jumping up on the nearest roof, and taking the quickest route to his destination, the note still tightly clutched in his hand.

 _Kakashi's in labor, he needs help. We are on a bench by Ichiraku ramen._

Was what the note had said. He recognized the handwriting as Tsubaki's, and knew the owl was her summons, so he had no doubt that she was there with Kakashi right now, but he had no idea why. Or why Kakashi would be out in the first place…although seeing as they were close to the ramen stand, he had a pretty good guess.

But no matter how the situation came to be it sounded like Aiko was on her way, and Kakashi needed him now more than ever.

…

 **A/N: It's almost time! She is on her was and Aiko will make her grand debut next chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one even if it was more or less filler. Let me know what you think and hopefully I can get the next chapter up asap. XD**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: My apologies for the wait! The semester at school is slowly coming to an end so that means a lot more studying and such. But here is the new chapter at last! Thank you everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I appreciate it as always, and I thank you for waiting patiently.**

 **So this chapter will contain the birth, and you finally get to find out how I decided to do it. I hope everyone enjoys it whether this is how they wanted it to happen or not. Also, I am no doctor, nor have I ever given birth, so any minor inaccuracies you notice just chalk it up to the fact that this is a male pregnancy and not a normal one.**

 **With that being said, enjoy! :D**

…

The bench came into view, and Iruka's panic instantly increased. He could see that Kakashi was hunched over and was in obvious pain, and was just glad that he wasn't there alone. Even though he had no idea what his boyfriend and ex-fiancée would be doing together, a part of him was just relieved that she was there.

"I'm here," Iruka said, trying to keep his voice as even as he could. He didn't want to freak the other man out anymore then he probably already was. "Kakashi? Are you alright?"

"It hurts," he replied weakly, not able to keep the pain out of his voice. This instantly caused a wave of worry to crash down on Iruka. Never had he heard Kakashi sound so vulnerable before. Not even after he woke up in the hospital after he had been kidnapped and tortured. "She's early…I'm not ready."

"I know, and I can't even begin to imagine what you are feeling right now, but if Aiko is ready to meet us, then there's not much we can do about it." Iruka replied as calmly as he could, praying that the others couldn't hear his pounding heart. He placed his hand in Kakashi's and gave it a tight squeeze, not missing the wince it caused from the raven-haired woman beside them.

He and Kakashi had made a point to keep their distance from each other anytime they might have seen Tsubaki at the market, or walking down the street, not wanting to rub her face in their relationship…but right now he didn't care. He didn't want to cause the woman any pain, but right now Kakashi had to come first.

"It's going to be okay. We will get you to the hospital and I'm sure Tsunade will be able to do something to ease any pain. And afterward we will finally get to meet our baby girl." His words seemed to finally calm the silver-haired man down, who nodded, but didn't dare speak.

The pains were getting worse, and it took ever ounce of his strength not to cry out. He really didn't want to make a scene when they were still in a public place, and he also didn't want to look weak in front of Iruka or Tsubaki. But truth be told, he had never been so terrified in his life. And that was a lot considering the amount he had been through, especially recently.

"Alright. Can you stand?" Iruka asked, and Kakashi nodded, even though his last attempt at standing hadn't worked out so well. He stood on shaky legs; gripping Iruka's arm tightly the entire time, and tried to take a few deep breaths. _Everything was going to be okay_ , he tried to tell himself mentally, only to have another intense pain hit him, and unfortunately this one was accompanied by something else.

His face instantly began to heat up, and any pain he was currently experiencing was overshadowed by his humiliation. Even though he knew it wasn't his fault, and it was something that was bound to happen eventually anyways, it didn't make the whole thing any less embarrassing. Especially considering to anybody that was passing by, his now wet pants would make them all think that he had just pissed himself.

"My water just broke," he mumbled, not daring to look at either Iruka or Tsubaki, too embarrassed to see their faces.

"It's okay," Iruka said gently, placing a hand on his back, trying to comfort Kakashi and divert his attention away from the few odd stares they were now getting. "Let's go, alright?"

He began to lead Kakashi toward the hospital, but was stopped after only a few steps when the older man doubled over again hissing in pain. He was about to just pick him up when Tsubaki, without a word, came up to Kakashi's other side, supporting the rest of his weight.

Iruka was relieved, and thankful he didn't have to ask her for her help. He gave her a meaningful look, and she simply nodded, before the two of them began carrying a groaning Kakashi toward the hospital.

…

"Thanks for helping Kakashi, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it." Iruka said, standing outside the hospital room somewhat awkwardly with his former fiancée.

They hadn't had a chance to say much to one another, when he had found Kakashi and Tsubaki on the bench, his one and only priority was to comfort Kakashi and get him to the hospital as quickly as humanly possible. But now that they had arrived, and Lady Tsunade was in with Kakashi checking him over, he felt like he owed her at least a thank you. She didn't owe them anything after all, and could've easily left Kakashi alone to deal with it himself.

"It's not a problem…I only did what any decent person would do." She shrugged.

"Well it means a lot to me."

"I didn't do it for you idiot…I did it for Kakashi." She said, but was lying. She really did do it for Iruka, but she sure as hell wasn't going to let him know that, she was still too pissed off with him.

"Thank you anyway." Iruka said, a small smile appearing on his face. Even though she obviously was still mad at him, this gesture of hers gave him hope that someday they could put the past behind them. He was about to say something else when they heard raised voice coming from inside the room.

"WOULD YOU CALM DOWN BRAT!"

"GET AWAY FROM ME WITH THAT YOU WITCH!"

"YOU'RE THE ONE THAT WANTED THE EPIDERAL YOU IDIOT!"

"IRUKA!"

"You better get going." Tsubaki laughed, to which Iruka quickly agreed.

…

Back in the hospital room, Iruka was able to calm Kakashi down enough to let Tsunade give him the needle, which he was glad he did, the pain significantly lessened and he was able to relax a bit.

"So how do you feel now?" Tsunade asked, hovering her glowing green hands over Kakashi's abdomen, to make sure everything was normal.

"The pain is a lot better, but something feels a little weird…" Kakashi trailed off, his face heating up in embarrassment. He had been having a strange feeling in his groin region ever since the labor pains started, but he had no idea of knowing what was going on, or whether it was normal or not. After all, he was a pregnant man who was currently in labor…he supposed there wasn't much normal about it.

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked, looking down at the silver-haired man in concern.

Kakashi stayed silent, biting his lip nervously, when his hand received a comforting squeeze from his boyfriend.

"What is it Kakashi?" Iruka asked gently.

"Fine," Kakashi sighed, closing his eyes as he spoke, not wanting to see their faces. "I feel something weird going on below my groin…like something is ripping or something…"

"I'll have to take a look," Tsunade said, much to Kakashi's embarrassment. That is exactly why he didn't want to have to tell her, but knew it was something that probably couldn't be avoided. If something was wrong he wanted her to catch it right away and fix it. "Don't be embarrassed brat, I'm a professional. Besides, I was already working as a medical nin when you were born, so technically I've already seen you naked."

"Yeah, because seeing me naked seconds after I was born and seeing me naked now is totally the same thing…" He groaned, covering his face up as Tsunade lifted the blanket that was covering him, and bent his knees up so she could get a proper look.

"This is very interesting," she said after a moment of examining the area Kakashi was talking about, and almost couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Remember how a couple of months ago we were concerned about the fact that the kunai hadn't been able to pierce the faux womb and what it meant for any potential C-section?"

"Yeah…" Kakashi said slowly, really not liking where this was going.

"Well it appears the area between your scrotum and anus has begun open."

"WHAT!?" Kakashi all but shrieked, making the two other people in the room wince at the ear splitting pitch.

"Well it seems the drug I made is even more amazing then I could have imagined. It is literally creating a way for the baby to get out. It's creating a birth canal!" Tsunade said in amazement, examining the forming opening even closer.

"You've got to be kidding me! Are you saying your fucking drug is actually turning me into a woman!?" He could feel a small amount of anger take hold. Becoming a pregnant man was one thing, but this was way too much!

"No…and watch your mouth. What I'm saying is the drug is creating a temporary birth canal. The opening isn't vaginal in the slightest, and I have every reason to believe that it will close itself up after the baby is born. So no, you are not turning into a woman." She said calmly, though she knew it probably brought the man little comfort in that moment.

"I can't believe this…" Kakashi sighed, not liking at all what this meant. He was hoping that he would be pumped full of pain medication and get to lie back in his drug induced haze as they cut Aiko out of him…but now he was going to have to actually experience childbirth? That was just great…

"I'm sorry Kakashi, there doesn't really look to be any other option. I mean, we could try to preform the C-section any way, but then we might end up opening you up only to realize that we can't get through the chakra. And then we put you through needless blood loss, not to mention you would be completely numbed and then you might have trouble pushing afterwards if it came down to actual childbirth anyway. So this really is the only option."

"Alright…I guess," he said, doing his best to keep the fear out of his voice, but received a squeeze of comfort on his hand anyway.

"It'll be alright." Iruka said, leaning down to place a kiss on the older man's forehead. He was doing his best to remain calm, but was inwardly panicking at the idea of Kakashi actually having to give birth. He really didn't want to see the other man in anymore pain then what was absolutely necessary.

Kakashi briefly smiled at that, so happy that Iruka was here with him in that moment. He couldn't even imagine if they hadn't worked things out, and that he had to go through all this alone. But still…

"You're not allowed to say it will be alright until you have to push a baby out of your body."

Iruka's eyes widened and Tsunade laughed, these next few hours were definitely going to be interesting.

…

It had now been nearly 6 hours since Kakashi had been admitted into the hospital, and he knew the time was quickly drawing near. The pains were getting more intense, and the damned epidural had long since worn off, and apparently he was too close to the end to get another one, much to his displeasure.

"Alright Kakashi, you'll have a few seconds to relax, but when the next set of contractions come, I want you to push." Tsunade said, completely in medical-nin mode at that point. Earlier on in his labor she had tried to keep him calm by cracking jokes and teasing him, but that was now gone and her professional mask was back on.

"Oh God," Kakashi wined, not wanting to have to do this. He had experienced countless injuries and extreme pains before but nothing seemed to compare to this. He had broken bones, been stabbed, and even lost his left eye…twice, and yet he couldn't help but think that he would gladly do it all again, if he could avoid having to do this. He definitely had a profound new respect for women, and would gladly castrate any man who dared to trivialize what a woman went through during labor.

The next pain came way too soon for his liking, crying out at the intensity of it.

Iruka felt helpless and useless in that moment. His boyfriend was in terrible pain, but there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. He squeezed Kakashi's hand, ignoring the pain he felt when Kakashi nearly crushed it, knowing that the pain he felt was nothing compared to what the older man was feeling, and if he was bringing him a small amount of comfort then it was worth any possible broken bones.

He supported Kakashi's back as he arched forward, attempting to push. He gave a few tries, but fell backward as the contraction passed.

"I can't do this," Kakashi panted, his face completely flushed. His hair was plastered to his face, completely drenched in sweat.

"Yes you can, I know you can." Iruka encouraged, but chose his words carefully. Kakashi's hormones, mixed with the pain he was in, made for a difficult six hours, where nearly everything he said was met with some form of anger. "You're with out a doubt the strongest person I know. And I know this must be hard…"

"You know shit!"

 _So much for not pissing him off_ , he mentally sighed before continuing, "Just think about Aiko. She's ready to come into this world and wants to meet us, but she just needs a little help from her daddy first."

Kakashi nodded, taking a couple deep breaths, already feeling the next contraction coming. And as horrible as the pain was, and as much as he wanted to curl up and die right then and there, he held onto Iruka's words…he was right. Aiko needed his help, and he would do anything for his daughter, no matter how badly it hurt.

"Alright Kakashi, push!" Tsunade encouraged, receiving a strangled cry from the silver-haired man as he complied. "Your so close! She's crowning!"

"FUUUUUCCCCKKKKK!" Kakashi cried, giving another long and hard push. The pain was unbearable, but fortunately it didn't seem to last long, because with one final push, the intense pain he was feeling seemed to significantly subside.

He panted heavily, desperate for air, when a cry filled the room and his breathing all but stopped. Everything that happened after that seemed so surreal, and he wasn't snapped back to reality until Tsunade was handing him his daughter.

He looked down at the little girl in his arms, and swore he felt his heart stop. She was beautiful…here skin was still a little red, and she was still a little slimy with whatever the hell that was, but other wise beautiful.

He could see small tufts of pale-silver hair, just like the girl from his dream. And it was hard to tell yet, but her skin seemed to be pigmented a little darker, resembling Iruka's skin tone more than his own. They wouldn't be able to tell for a while whose eyes she got, but her little nose definitely reminded him of his own.

"I can't believe it," Iruka whispered, standing right beside Kakashi, looking down at the child in his arms. "We really have a daughter, and she's so beautiful."

Kakashi could only nod, not trusting himself to speak as his eye remained glued to the little girl in his arms. He had already loved her more than anything in this world, but after seeing her face, that love seemed to only grow that much more. It was like some sort of wonderful dream that he never wanted to wake up from.

He looked up at the man beside him, and smiled when he saw the tears shining in his eyes as he stared down at their daughter. He was practically glowing, and Kakashi could swear he could physically feel the love radiating off of him.

Iruka looked up, catching Kakashi's eye, and gave him a tearful smile. He couldn't believe the gift the other man had just given him, and swore he felt himself falling in love with him all over again.

"Thank you," he whispered, his voice breaking as a sob finally escaped his throat.

Kakashi beamed up at him, feeling his own face wet with tears. "You're welcome."

Iruka leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on the other man's lips, hoping to communicate exactly what he was feeling but knew he would never be able to get it quite across. The love he felt for Kakashi and Aiko, his family, was immeasurable.

"I love you," he whispered, his lip still grazing the other mans.

"I love you too," Kakashi replied, finally pulling apart, when he felt the tiny form in his arms squirm. The two stared adoringly down at her, completely forgetting that there was anyone else in the room.

Tsunade stared at the new family before her, her heart absolutely bursting with joy at the sight. A year ago, she would have done anything to help Kakashi out of the depression he had found himself in, but knowing anything she could have done would have been useless. He was so lost in his misery and pain that she was beginning to believe that he would never be able to be pulled out of it, and she was just waiting for the day where she would hear the news about how he met his end, similar to how his father had. So to see him now, so incredibly happy, and so incredibly in love with both his daughter and Iruka, gave her such a feeling of joy that she couldn't even describe it. And a little part of her was giddy about the fact that this was all basically possible because of her drug and the mistake she had made nearly 9 months ago.

"So, have you decided on a name?" Tsunade finally said, although she hated to break the moment. She knew they had decided on Aiko, and was more curious about the family name they were going to give her.

Iruka and Kakashi exchanged a look, and Iruka was about to speak, but Kakashi beat him to it.

"Umino…Umino Aiko." He said, receiving a gasp and confused look from the brunette man beside him.

"But Kakashi…you're the one that did all the work! Not to mention you're the last of the Hatake's…"

"So, you're the last of the Umino's. And I didn't do all the work…well okay I did most of the work, but so what?"

"The Hatake name is far more prestigious then the Umino name."

"Says who?!" Kakashi said a little more harshly then he intended. "You're an amazing ninja, and your parents died as heroes during the war. If that's not 'prestigious' then I don't know what is. Besides, I may be the last Hatake, but that name for me has always been clouded in pain. I may have made peace with my father, but that doesn't change how I feel about this. Not to mention having the Hatake name could potentially put her in danger in the future given the enemies I still have out there!"

"But…"

"I'm exhausted and still hormonal, don't argue with me about this." Kakashi said firmly, shooting the other man a look that dared him to argue.

Iruka contemplated saying something more, but preferred to avoid any potential argument. He could see how physically exhausted the other man really was, and the last thing he wanted to do was upset him in anyway.

He just couldn't believe that after everything Kakashi had been through for their daughter, and the pain that he experienced bringing her into the world, that he was actually giving him the honor of passing down his family's name.

"Alright," he gave in, earning him a tired smile from the other man, "Umino Aiko it is."

"Alright," Tsunade said, making a note of that on the birth certificate. "I'll give you guys a few minutes alone, and then I'll have to come take Aiko to do a few routine tests, not to mention Kakashi will need to get some rest. There is no doubt a small mob of people forming out in the waiting room who are going to want to see you and Aiko soon enough, and you will definitely need your energy for that."

"Thank you Tsunade…for everything," Kakashi said, looking up at the older woman. He had no words to describe just how thankful he was to her. Without her, and her insane drug, he wouldn't be here right now. And would likely either be at home, drunk and alone in his apartment, or possibly dead. He didn't think he would ever be able to repay her for what she had done.

"You're welcome brat, and congratulations." She beamed back as him, before quickly making her leave. She could feel the tears burning her eyes, and wanted to avoid having a complete breakdown in front of anyone. She had a reputation to uphold after all! And wouldn't allow herself to cry…at least not until she got home to her husband that night, and allowed the days memories to replay in her mind.

"I still can't believe this." Iruka said, the argument about her name forgotten as his attention was now fully back on his daughter and lover. "How could we have made something so perfect?"

"Well when two men get completely wasted, and one of them is pumped full of experimental medication, then apparently they can create a tiny little angel."

Iruka laughed, "Apparently so. But if she ever asks, maybe we should go with a different story."

"Agreed…although how we are ever going to be able to explain this to her, I have no idea."

"Well hopefully we won't have to worry about that for years, and can cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Deal," Kakashi agreed, not wanting to think about any awkward conversations they were going to have to have with her in the future. It was going to be hard enough to explain to her why she had two daddies and no mommy, without the added complication of having to tell her that he was the one that actually gave birth to her…literally. Iruka was right; they could cross that bridge when they come to it.

A small smile lit up his face when he realized something…he was actually looking into his future and picturing it with Iruka by his side. He had never thought about his future before, at least not for the past ten years, and was always content to face each day blindly and consider each day potentially as his last. But now he was looking into the future, and both Aiko and Iruka were by his side.

"Have I ever mentioned how glad I am that you approached me in the bar that night?" Iruka randomly asked, breaking Kakashi out of his thoughts.

"Have I ever mentioned how glad I am that you are a lightweight that was so easy to seduce?"

"You could stand to mention it more…" Iruka said, causing Kakashi to laugh.

"And I'm definitely glad you knocked me up, despite how furious I was about it initially. I can't even imagine if I would've went through with what I wanted to do after I first found out…" Kakashi trailed off, his voice trembling as he remembered how close he was to aborting his pregnancy after he first found out. If it hadn't been for Minato, convincing him to take two weeks to think it over, then there was no doubt in his mind that he would've went through with it right then and there. That thought caused his blood to run cold, and actually made him feel a little nauseous.

"Don't think about that," Iruka whispered, wrapping his arm around the other man's shoulders, placing a soft kiss on his temple. "You made the right decision in the end, so don't think about what could've been, otherwise you will only drive yourself crazy. She's here with us now and that's all that matters."

"You're right," Kakashi nodded, leaning his head on the other man's shoulders as he looked back down at their sleeping daughter. "How I ever got along before I met you, I'll never know."

"And hopefully you will never have to find out again." Iruka said, receiving another look from the silver-haired male. "There is no place I would rather be in this world but by your side, now and forever."

He said, hoping the other man wouldn't doubt this. If his engagement with Tsubaki ending hadn't still been so fresh, then he would've probably dropped down on one knee by now and asked the other man to marry him. But despite how he felt, he knew things were still new, and didn't want to jeopardize anything by moving too quickly…although one could argue that after only a couple months of dating that they were already living together, and now had a daughter, but still…there was no doubt in his mind that one day he would marry this man, but they had their whole lives ahead of them to make that happen.

"I love you Iruka."

"I love you too." Iruka replied, pulling the other man as close as he could without disturbing the small bundle in his arms.

The two of them stayed silent until Tsunade finally returned, simply enjoying the feeling of bliss they both felt upon seeing their daughter, and by being there by each other's side.

…

 **A/N: So there we have it, I was evil and went with a natural birth after all. I know it might make the whole thing even more unrealistic, but this is set in a world of ninja's where a dude got pregnant…so it may not have been realistic in the first place. And I guess I thought it was a little more amusing to do it this way, so I hope you're not disappointed and that you enjoyed anyway.**

 **I am going to be extra busy this next week or so, but I will still try my hardest not to keep you waiting for too long. But unlike most of my chapters that had been written out in advance, the last two chapter of this story are not yet completed, so that means it might take a little longer than usual. That also means there is still time for last minute suggestions if there is anything specific any of you would like to see (and if your suggestion is going to be more smut, don't worry, I already have some of that planned, haha XD). So please, let me know any thoughts or suggestions and I promise to get the last two chapters up as soon as I can. Thank you for reading!**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Here's the second to last chapter! As always thank you to those who reviewed, and I hope you enjoy!**

The next couple days were interesting to say the least. As ready as they were for Aiko to enter the world, apparently there was a lot involved in caring for a baby, a lot that two twenty something year old men didn't know.

Such as changing a diaper…who knew it was such an art? Not to mention all the other minor details that properly caring for a baby involved. Like burping after feeding, the specific ways you could and couldn't hold her, and when wrapping her in blanket how tight was too tight. But thankfully enough people that knew what they were doing surrounded them, and both of them were eager to learn.

And something else they learned over the past couple of days, were some of the additional effects of Tsunade's drug, much of which was to Kakashi's horror. Such as lactating…Kakashi hadn't even considered that as a possibility, but after holding her for the first time after her check ups, she had started crying, and apparently his body realized what she wanted and reacted accordingly…

"You've got to be kidding me!" He had snapped, staring down in horror at his now damp shirt.

"That is truly fascinating…this drug seems to just keep on giving!" Tsunade replied with far too much enthusiasm in her voice. Kakashi's eye twitched in annoyance, wanting more than anything to show her how much he didn't appreciate these side effects. Being pregnant was one thing, but actually having to give birth, and now being expected to nurse his daughter was too much…at least the opening that had formed on his body had already closed, he was thankful for that much at least.

But over the next couple of days he grew to accept the fact, and a small part of him, one that he would never admit to, actually started to enjoy it. Most people would probably see it as wrong, or messed up, but he figured if a woman could nurse her baby, why couldn't he? Not only that, but now that Aiko was no longer a physical part of him, he couldn't help but miss that connection with her, and he found by nursing her that he regained a small part of that connection…again not that he would ever say that out loud, not even to Iruka.

Speaking of Iruka, Kakashi couldn't be more thrilled with how well he seemed to be taking on his role as father. He seemed to pick up on all the basics quickly, and he was so gentle and sweet with her, that it caused Kakashi's heart to soar every time he saw them together. He could still hardly believe it. They were actually parents…he and Iruka were actually going to raise their daughter together. And the last couple of days since she had arrived only seemed to bring the two of them closer together.

"Are you ready to go?" Iruka asked, picking up the last of the bags. He wasn't sure when they ended up accumulating so much stuff over the course of the week they were there, but wouldn't complain about it. Apparently Kushina had been planning a surprise baby shower that got derailed after Kakashi went into early labor, so the party moved to the hospital room after Kakashi had recovered enough. They were honored to have so many friends to come and visit and support them, but now he felt like some sort of pack mule with the sheer amount of bags draped over him.

"Are you going to be alright?" Kakashi laughed, taking in the hilarious sight of his boyfriend. He could barely see him through all the bags. "We could make a second trip you know. Or I could carry a few."

"No, no, I'm fine." Iruka insisted, causing Kakashi to roll his eyes. His chakra levels may not have completely balanced back out yet, but he was more or less recovered at this point, and was more than capable of carrying anything Iruka could. "Besides, I wouldn't want you distracted…you're carrying the most important package after all.

Kakashi's face softened, looking down at the carrier in his hand holding the small silver-haired girl. She had gotten even more beautiful over the past seven days, and both men had fallen even more in love with her. It was funny how quickly their lives had changed, and how both his and Iruka's world now completely revolved around Aiko. Kakashi smiled, he could already tell that she would be incredibly spoiled, and that there was nothing in this world that he wouldn't give her or do for her…except maybe let her date…his eye narrowed into a glare at the prospect.

"You okay?" Iruka asked, seeing the change of look on his lover's face. "Why are you glaring at our daughter?"

"I was thinking about what we'll do when she wants to start dating."

Iruka's face visibly darkened as well.

"I wouldn't worry about it," he answered after a moment, "I just decided she's not allowed to start dating until we are both dead."

"That's a little morbid," Kakashi replied, but then smiled, "but I agree!"

Now that their 7-day-old daughter's love life was decided, the two started the walk back home. Completely oblivious to any stares they might be receiving. It was funny how a week could change things.

The day he had went into labor he had been verbally attacked by a group of men, and had received countless glares and whispers from others. But now that he was no longer pregnant, most people seemed to be avoiding them, all of them staying silent, and only the very bravest still mustering up the courage to glare at them. It seems despite everything, his reputation was still enough to instill fear in most, which he couldn't lie, was actually a great feeling.

After feeling so weak, and vulnerable for so long, it was great to get a little confidence back. He might never be able to be the ninja he once was, with his sharingan gone, the full range of motion in his arms yet to return, and his chakra levels were still unbalanced, but for now, regaining a little respect was more than enough.

It wasn't long before they arrived back home, both of them freezing on the front porch.

"So that's where they all are, I was wondering why no one was at the hospital to see us off."

"Looks like you're regaining some of your ninja abilities."

"Don't they know you can through a surprise party for a ninja?"

"Something tells me they don't care," Iruka chuckled, opening the door, surprised to walk in and find there was no one in the room. Well that was odd…he was sensing their presence right in front of him…

"SURPRISE!"

Out of nowhere, all their friends appeared, which actually caught Iruka off guard. He took a step back, but with all the heavy bags he was carrying, his balance was compromised, and he very unceremoniously fell on his ass, causing a roar of laughter to explode around the room.

"I stand corrected," Kakashi chuckled, "Apparently you _can_ throw a surprise party for a ninja."

"Shut up," Iruka mumbled, his cheeks now a bright red. "I wasn't actually surprised, I just didn't want to hurt their feelings or anything…"

"That's very kind of you Iruka," Minato laughed, reaching out a hand to help the younger man to his feet.

"Let me see the little angel!" Kushina squealed, pushing past her husband, who was still in the process of helping Iruka up. The shove was hard enough that he also lost his balance, causing both him and Iruka to crash back down to the ground.

Not even noticing, Kushina came to a stop in front of Kakashi, cooing at the baby that was now in his arms. In fact it didn't take long for Kakashi to be completely surrounded by ever woman in attendance, including Kushina, Tsunade, her assistant Shizune, Kurenai, and another fellow Jounin Anko.

"If you guys were going to throw this party anyway, why did you bother bringing all these gifts to the hospital in the first place?" Iruka grumbled, shrugging off the last of the bags after finally managing to get back on his feet.

"Well this was a last minute decision by Kushina," Minato chuckled, "and I've learned that more often then not it is easier to just go a long with it. You'll learn that soon enough."

"Are you implying Kakashi is like my wife?" Iruka asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"He did just give birth to your child."

"True…but Hokage or not, if you value your life I wouldn't let him hear you say that. Between his returning ninja abilities, and his still unstable hormones, well…" He trailed off, allowing Minato to fill in the rest.

Minato nodded in agreement, remembering his own wife for the first couple of weeks after having Naruto. It was definitely a stressful time. "Yeah…good luck with that." Minato said, patting Iruka on the back, before joining the growing crowd surrounding his former student.

Iruka could only smile, catching Kakashi's eye through the crowd. They exchanged a knowing look with each other, one that said they were home.

…

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" The raven-haired man hissed, smashing every rock and tree within his reach. "How the hell did he survive!"

The two of them had to go into deep hiding after the incident with Kakashi, but after some of the heat seemed to die down, they finally remerged only to hear about how both the copy-nin and his child had survived.

"Calm down Kohaku…" Kagura sighed, wincing when she saw her companion shoot her a menacing look.

"Calm down? You want me to calm down!" Kohaku shouted, slamming the small woman against a nearby tree, causing her to let out a hiss from the pain. "We waited two years! Two years of planning! Two years of you having to play nice living in that village! Two years for absolutely nothing!"

"You don't think I know that!" Kagura snapped, trying to pry Kohaku's hands off of her, but it was no use. "This makes me just as angry as it makes you! But freaking out about it and needlessly drawing attention to ourselves isn't going to change anything!"

Kohaku took a few deep breaths, before finally releasing her. "This isn't over."

"I know." Kagura agreed, "but we'll have to be patient. If we want another opportunity at this, we're going to have to make our peace that it's going to take a while. Years even…"

Kohaku stayed silent, taking a moment to allow her words to sink in. The thought of having to wait even a second longer made him sick to his stomach, they had already had to wait for so long. But then the image of his brother, lying dead in a pool of his own blood, flashed into his mind, and he decided. It didn't matter if it took weeks, months, years, or decades…he would have his revenge.

"So be it." Kohaku muttered, "enjoy this gift of extra time you were granted Hatake Kakashi…but I promise when I see you next, I'm going to make you wish you died in that cave that day."

…

"It's so good to be home," Kakashi practically moaned as he stretched out on their bed. It wasn't as if the hospital's beds were terribly uncomfortable or anything, but there was really nothing like being in your own bed after so long.

"Agreed," Iruka said, flopping down on the bed beside his boyfriend. The last of their company had finally left a couple of hours ago, and after spending time cleaning up and putting their daughter to bed, the two were more than a little exhausted. "Everything just seems so surreal." Iruka mumbled after a few moments of silence passed between them.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked, rolling over so he was now facing the younger man.

"That after everything, we are actually here, back home, with our daughter…I don't know. It's almost like some sort of dream, and I'm afraid I'm going to wake up any moment now and it's going to be gone." Iruka blushed, hoping he wasn't coming off as too cheesy, but relaxed when he saw the other man smile.

"I definitely think I know what you mean," Kakashi agreed, leaning forward, capturing the other man's lips in his own before pulling away, smirking, "so maybe we should find some way of proving to each other just how real this is…"

"Are you even allowed to?" Iruka asked hesitantly, but could already feel the blood pooling below his belt at the thought.

"Before we left the hospital Tsunade gave me one last check up and said I was all healed, so she gave me the all clear." Kakashi practically purred, running his hands up and down Iruka's chest.

It had been weeks since they had been intimate, obviously not able to do anything the last week in the hospital, but also the last couple of weeks before Kakashi had went into labor, he had gotten too big and too easily exhausted to have the energy to do anything sexual. So both men desperately missed the feeling of being close to one another, of being one.

"In that case," Iruka nearly growled, as he flipped them over so Kakashi was on his back, and he was hovering above him. "You know, this is the first time we've done it where you haven't been pregnant, that first drunken time aside. It's almost weird not to have your giant stomach in the way."

"Are you saying I'm fat?" Kakashi asked, his look darkening which instantly caused the younger man to panic.

"No! Of course not! I only meant…"

"Because it's not my fault I haven't been able to lose all the weight I gained yet! I haven't exactly been able to work out at the hospital!" Kakashi was only teasing, finding the way Iruka looked when he was flustered beyond adorable.

"I know, I wasn't saying…I think you look amazing! Would've never guessed you had a kid just a week ago. I…" Kakashi decided to put Iruka out of his misery, and silenced him with a kiss.

"I was just kidding. I might be slightly hormonal still, but I'm not crazy."

Iruka would consider arguing that if he wasn't sure it would definitely end the activity they had already started. Instead, he leaned back down, capturing the other man's lips once again.

The kiss started off slow, almost lazy, both men taking their time to explore the other's mouth. Their tongue slid together perfectly, gently pushing each other's back and forth, neither trying to get the upper hand and take control of the kiss.

Kakashi leaned up, keeping their lips attached, so that he was now in a sitting position with Iruka straddling his lap. He ran his hand up and down the other man's clothed body, until he finally hooked his finger's around the bottom of his shirt, pulling it up over the other man's head, leaving his torso now fully exposed.

Kakashi practically moaned at the sight, Iruka's perfect tanned skin stretched over well-defined muscles. The sight never failed to arouse him and he could feel the heat that had been building up inside him intensify.

He placed his mouth against one of his pectorals, placing soft barely there kisses along it, before he reached the nipple, gently sucking it into his mouth. He ran his tongue over the small bud a few times, earning him a low throaty moan from the brunette. He smirked at the sound, greedily wanting to hear more of it, so took that moment to flip them around, and push Iruka down, so his back was now on the bed.

He crashed their lips back together, and ground their hips together, earning another moan as their hardening members slid against each other.

"I think it's finally time that I return the favor," Kakashi purred, leaving Iruka confused about what he could mean, when he felt his pants and boxer's ripped down and tossed across the room in one fluid motion.

Iruka's eyes widened in surprise, gasping when he felt a warm wet tongue travel the entire length of his arousal. _So that's what he meant,_ Iruka thought before throwing his head back in pleasure, when he felt his erection become encased in the warmth of Kakashi's mouth.

They had been together for a couple of months now, but this was the first time he was experiencing Kakashi pleasuring him this way. While he was pregnant it was always hard for him to kneel or crouch for long, not that Iruka really minded. He still got to make love to the other man and hold him close every night, so he never considered this an issue. But feeling how skillfully Kakashi worked his length now inside his mouth, he could now see what he had been missing, and would definitely be able to get use to this in the future.

Kakashi could feel Iruka's hands travel to the back of his head, gently gripping at his hair. He smiled around the other man's cock, loving the reaction he was currently getting, and wanted to take it a step further.

He bobbed his head up and down a few times, running his tongue along the shaft as he went. He pulled back slightly so only the tip was left in his mouth, and ran his tongue along the slit, earning an almost animalistic moan from the other man.

He took the other man's balls in his hand, gently rubbing them as he went back down, lowering himself so Iruka's length was now completely in his mouth, the tip hitting the back of his throat.

"Holy shit!" He gasped, not expecting that action, or the sheer amount of pleasure it caused. He had never been able to get Kakashi in his mouth that far, not with out gagging, nor had he ever experienced this before with Tsubaki. His former fiancée had never really liked going down on him before, and would only ever do it on his birthday or on their anniversary. He didn't know if it was just her inexperience, and he hated to compare the two, but he could safely say that Tsubaki had come nowhere close to making him feel this way.

Kakashi continued to move up and down, Iruka hitting the back of his throat every time. He could hear the other man's moan increase, and knew it wouldn't be much longer. The feeling of being able to pleasure Iruka like this for the first time was incredible, loving the reaction he was getting from the younger man, and he couldn't wait to continue bringing him pleasure like this in the future.

"I'm about to…" Iruka moaned, but wasn't even able to finish his sentence before his orgasm over took him, and he was coming hard inside of Kakashi's mouth.

Kakashi drank back every last drop, savoring his first taste of the man he loved, before pulling his mouth off of him. He gave the softening top one last kiss, before he made his way back up the other man's body, leaving a trail of kisses along the way, before his lips were once again against his.

"So, how did you like that?" Kakashi asked after a moment of trading heated kisses with the brunette.

"I think I could get use to that," Iruka panted out, still coming down from the high his orgasm caused. "You're way better at that than I am."

"I don't know, I think you're pretty good at it yourself, and you know what they say…practice makes perfect."

"That's true," Iruka replied attaching his lips to the other man's neck, giving it a gently bite.

"But right now," Kakashi moaned, "I don't want that. I want you…all of you."

Kakashi's tone was lust filled, borderline desperate, and that alone caused his cock to begin twitching back to life.

He flipped them back over, so he was once again on top. He wasted no time in ridding the other man of his clothes, and leaned back to take a moment to admire the other man's body.

His skin was a creamy pale white, and was littered with many small and large scars. The one along his abdomen, that nearly took the two most important people in his life away from him, caught his attention. He ghosted his fingers over it, looking down at it sadly. This scar would forever be a reminder of his failure, about how he hadn't been able to make it to Kakashi in time. How it was Kakashi's sheer will and strength alone that had saved their daughter.

"Stop that." Kakashi said, snapping Iruka out of his thoughts, and causing him to pull his hand away, as if he had just been burned.

"Sorry, I…"

"I didn't mean you had to stop touching it." Kakashi said, grabbing the other man's wrist and bringing his hand back down to his still soft abdomen. He thankfully hadn't gained a lot of weight over the course of his pregnancy, but it would still take a lot of work and training to get it back to the hard, chiseled body that he had before. "My body is yours to touch wherever you want. When I said stop, I meant stop whatever depressing thought you had floating around in your head."

"I'm sorry," Iruka said, brushing his finger's along the scar once again. "It's just seeing it, I can't help but think…"

"And that's what I meant by stop it." He sat up, placing his left hand against Iruka's cheek, softly stroking the skin underneath with his thumb. "I'm here, Aiko's here, and we're not going anywhere."

Iruka's face softened, relaxing at the other man's words. He knew it would take a while for the both of them to completely put what happened behind them, but as long as they had each other, he knew they would be able to accomplish it no problem.

"You're right," He said, placing a gentle kiss against the other man's lips. "And where are my manners. I believe we were in the middle of something."

And with that he pushed Kakashi back down, attaching his lips to any part of the other man's skin he could get a hold of, starting with the neck and working his way down. He came to his chest, and instantly got a reaction out of the other man. As sensitive as his chest was before, it was even more so now since he had started nursing Aiko.

He placed a few gentle kisses along his muscles there, before taking his nipple into his mouth experimentally. This cause a gasp followed by a low moan. He continued working the nipple like he normally would, when he suddenly froze and pulled back in surprise when felt something odd and sweet enter his mouth.

"That's not for you," Kakashi laughed at the surprised look on the other man's face, trying to suppress the embarrassment he felt at what just happened.

"It's surprisingly not bad..." Iruka commented after a moment, the taste still lingering in his mouth.

"Did you think my milk would taste bad?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

To avoid giving an answer and possibly pissing the other man off, Iruka chose to grab his length instead, giving it a few firm pumps.

If the moans were anything to go by, his distraction tactic seemed to work, and chose to resume their previous activities. He leaned over to the bedside table drawer, pulling out the lube that was kept there, before returning his attention to the other man.

"Wait," Kakashi said, leaning back over to the drawer himself, pulling something else out.

"A condom?" Iruka asked, taking the small wrapped item confused. "But we got tested shortly after we got together and we were both clean."

"Yes, but you seem to have forgotten something…even though I'm a man, I still gave birth to your daughter last week didn't I? And we still don't know much about this drug and how much longer it's going to be in my system. So until we know more you're going to have to suit up…because as much as I love Aiko, I'm not quite ready to give her a sibling quite yet."

"Good point. I didn't even think about that." Iruka agreed. It was almost ironic the fact that he had ended up with a man, but still had to worry about unprotected sex and whether or not he was going to accidently impregnate his partner.

He put the condom aside and popped open the bottle of lube, generously coating his fingers before he began stroking the other man's entrance. He slid one finger in, quickly followed by a second. He gave Kakashi a few moments to adjust to the second finger before sliding in a third. He worked the three fingers with in him; earning him one of the most erotic sounds he had ever heard once he found that special bundle of nerves.

The reaction he always got out of Kakashi whenever he hit it, made him slightly curious. And he couldn't help but wonder what it felt like to be the bottom. But that was something they could maybe experiment with another day, for now, after weeks of celibacy, they just needed to be one once more.

So he removed his fingers, unwrapping the condom and rolled it down his length, before coating it with a little extra lube. He lined himself up and leaned down to place another kiss on the other mans' lips. "Are you ready?"

"God yes," Kakashi moaned, feeling incredibly empty once the fingers had been removed, loving the feeling as Iruka's length slowly began entering him. It still caused a fair amount of pain, but nowhere near as bad as it had been the first few times they had done it, but he was usually able to adjust to it fairly quickly.

After waiting for a few moments for Kakashi to adjust, he received a nod that let him know it was okay to start moving. He started off with a slow steady rhythm, occasionally grinding his hips in a circular motion, earning a chorus of moans from the other man. His rhythm began to pick up when he once again located Kakashi's prostate.

"Shit! Right there!" He gasped out, arching his back up in pleasure. Iruka obliged, continuing to his the spot over and over again. "Fuck!"

As much as he usually loved hearing the voice of his lover scream out in pleasure, a sudden thought occurred to him and he became distinctly aware about the fact that Aiko was sleeping in the next room. Not wanting to wake her, but not wanting to discourage Kakashi by telling him to quiet down, he decided to silence him another way, and crashed his lips against the other man's once more. Kakashi didn't complain and returned the kiss hungrily, getting across all the passion that had built up between them in that moment. Iruka simultaneously began pumping Kakashi's length.

He could feel the heat pooling inside his belly, and knew it was only a matter of time be for it erupted, and he wanted to make sure Kakashi got there as well. He gave a few more fast, deep thrust, hitting the man's prostate, which was finally enough to push him over the edge.

"Iruka!" I moaned against the other man's lips, which were still attached to his own.

The sound of Kakashi moaning his name was all it took for him to be pushed over the edge as well.

"Kakashi…" Iruka groaned, giving a few final lazy thrust to completely milk his orgasm, before pulling out and practically collapsing right on top of the other man.

"Non-pregnant sex is a lot better than pregnant sex, wouldn't you say?" Kakashi asked after two had taken a few moments to bask in their post orgasm bliss.

"Well pregnant sex was still awesome, but I did like the fact that I didn't have to spend the entire time worried I was going to crush you or some how hurt the baby. Not to mention I actually got to look at your face as you were coming, which is definitely one of my new favorite sights."

"I preferred doing it that way too," Kakashi agreed, yawning as the exhaustion from that day and their recent activities began to set back in. He leaned his head on the other man's chest, bringing his hand to rest on his abdomen.

Iruka smiled down at his clearly exhausted lover, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead, before wrapping his arm around his side.

"What, no round two?" Kakashi chuckled, nuzzling his face into the brunette's neck, placing a few gentle kisses there.

"I might consider it if your eyes didn't keep drooping," Iruka laughed, but gave in and began exchanging a few lazy, slow kisses with the other man. The kisses surprisingly began to heat up, and he almost considered the possibility for a round two, when they heard the sound of crying erupt from the baby monitor by their bed.

"Our first official baby cock-block." Iruka grumbled at the loss of contact as Kakashi rolled away from him.

"Yup, and I think we better get use to it." Kakashi yawned, about to get up, when Iruka reached out and grabbed him.

"You're exhausted, I got this," Iruka said, getting out of bed and throwing on some of his clothes that were still scattered across the room.

"Are you sure? What if she's hungry?"

"Then I'll bring her to you. Besides…I don't know if you want to be picking her up right now…you're still covered in you know what." Iruka said, chuckling when Kakashi looked down at his still soiled chest, his face heating up immediately.

He saw Kakashi jump up and head to the bathroom as he made his way across the hall and into the nursery.

He carefully picked her up out of the crib, extra careful to support her head properly. That had been one of the most nerve-wracking things when it came to learning how to care for Aiko properly. Every time he picked her up he had been terrified that he might hold her the wrong way and accidently hurt her, or worse yet, drop her. Being in charge of something that was so tiny and so fragile was beyond stressful, and he had a feeling that it wasn't likely to get any easier as time went on.

He checked her over and found that she was wet, so he gently placed her on the changing table and got to work. The first time he had tried to change a diaper back at the hospital could only be described as disastrous. Apparently he had not only put it on backwards, but also so loose that it had just slid right off the moment he had picked her back up. But over the next few days after that he had trained himself, just like he would when learning a new ninjutsu, and was determined to keep practicing until he had gotten it perfect.

He balled up the wet diaper, throwing it in a nearby bin, before cleaning off her genitals and backside with a wipe. He applied a bit of powder to finish it off and securely fastened the new diaper into place. He nodded in approval after checking over his work, picking his no longer crying daughter back up and placing her gently in the crib once more.

"You're going to look a lot like your daddy when you grow up. I can already see a lot of him in you…you're both so incredibly beautiful." Iruka said, smiling down at the infant, who was already beginning to doze off again.

"Not everyone is going to approve of our family, and unfortunately because of that I'm afraid you might have to hear some pretty negative things. But don't worry, because no matter what you hear, and no matter what happens, your two daddies are going to be there for you, and love you more than anything. We will do everything in our power to protect you, no matter what, so you never have to be afraid. Goodnight princess." He said once it was clear Aiko was once again fully asleep. He gave her one last smile before leaving the room and returning back to the one that he and Kakashi shared.

He climbed back into bed carefully, thinking the other man must've fallen asleep. He wrapped his arm around Kakashi, and just when he thought he had successful returned to bed without waking the other man, he felt him smile against his chest, alerting him to the fact that his mission had failed, and that Kakashi was awake.

"That was sweet," he murmured tiredly.

"What was?" Iruka asked confused, gently starting to stroke the other man's back.

"The things you said to her."

"You heard that?" Iruka asked surprised.

"Of course, the baby monitor is still on."

"Oh," Iruka said, his cheeks heating up at the thought that Kakashi heard every word he said.

"You're going to make a great father Umino Iruka. There's no one else in this world that I would rather be doing this with than you."

Kakashi's words caused his heart to begin hammering a little louder in his chest, and his stomach to give a pleasant flip. It was still sometimes hard for him to believe that this was all actually real. That he actually met Kakashi in the bar that night, that he actually allowed himself to be seduced, that he actually managed to impregnate the other man, and that despite everything else that happened along the way, that he actually managed to fall in love with this amazing man, and that he, Kakashi, and their daughter were now actually living together as a real family.

He stared down at his now sleeping lover's face, and couldn't help the tears that began stinging the back of his eyes. In just nine month his life had been turned completely upside down, leaving his former life in complete ruin, and he couldn't have been happier about that.

…

 **A/N: I hope you liked this slightly longer than normal chapter. And once again, I hope the smut wasn't too awful. I figured I needed to include a little more before I brought the story to an end, so yeah. And I hope none of you hate me too much for the little cliffhanger I included in there. I figured I better add it in, and possibly set up a potential sequel. Although I don't intend to write one right away, I like having the option to.**

 **So there is only one last chapter left, it will be an epilogue of sorts, kind of wrapping up any loose ends. I don't know when I will be able to get it up exactly, seeing as I haven't even begun writing it, but hopefully before the end of next week. Thank you to everyone for reading, and please let me know what you thought.**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Sorry for the delay! I didn't have this chapter written yet, and I wrote out a first draft over the weekend, only to be unsatisfied, thinking that it was a little boring. So I rewrote it, and made it quite a bit longer, adding his some extra stuff to set up a potential sequel as well. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I appreciated it! And thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story this far. I hope you all enjoy this final chapter!**

…

The next three months were definitely the best, but also the hardest of Kakashi's life. Going into the whole parenthood thing he knew there would be challenges, and he certainly faced more than his share of those. After a few weeks though, things had begun to settle down a bit and he had grown accustomed to his new routine…besides, who needed sleep anyway?

Not only that, but he was quickly realizing that his career as a ninja was more or less over. As much as he hated to admit it, he hadn't been able to fully recover from his torture, his arms had yet to regain their full range of motion. And despite his continued rehabilitation, he knew it was likely that they never would.

Plus as a new 'mother' (he still hated that term, and cringed when Minato had used it to explain his mandatory maternity leave) he wouldn't be able to rejoin active duty even if he wanted to until Aiko was at the appropriate age to begin the academy. It was a policy the village had, one that he hadn't known about, but why would he seeing as it hadn't applied to him before now…but when a child is born, and it has two shinobi parents, at least one parent is required to leave active duty, to minimize the risk that that child would be left an orphan, something that happened far too frequently in the ninja world. But once the child reached academy age, they are deemed responsible enough to be able to care for themself if the unthinkable ever were to happen, so both parents would then be allowed back on active duty.

But seeing as how Iruka was an academy teacher, which historically was a fairly safe profession, he could probably argue that he should be allowed back on active duty sooner…that was if he even wanted to.

His whole life he had been trained and groomed to be the perfect shinobi, a tool to be used however his superiors saw fit. And for years his life as a shinobi consumed him, it was all he did or thought about, it was literally his entire identity. And then he gained his sharingan and became famed around the ninja world; further ingraining in him that there simply was no other possible life for him. He lived as a ninja, and he had fully intended to die as a ninja at some point.

But things were different now; he had things to live for, things that made him happy, things that brought so much joy to his life that he didn't think it was humanly possible. The whole thing still left him completely dumbfounded sometimes, and he constantly found himself checking on Aiko and Iruka, just to make sure that they were indeed real, and not just some figment of his imagination. But no matter how many times he checked, they were still there, and no matter how long it has been, seeing them brought warmth to his heart each and every time.

So even if one day his arms did completely heal, and he completely regained his ability to be a high-ranking active duty shinobi once more, he wasn't sure he would ever want to take that opportunity even if it presented itself. Despite his life changing as much as it had, and his entire world being turned upside down with his former identity being taken away from him, he was relishing in his new identity. His identity as a father, as a lover, and as a friend…this was something he never had in the past, something he hadn't even known he wanted, but now that he had it, he never wanted to let it go. But he was probably getting a little ahead of himself. He still had a good 5-6 years to think about it and spend time with his daughter, so for now he was just going to sit back and enjoy it.

And speaking of enjoying it, today was the day of his birthday, a day in the past that he had dreaded every single year, a day that usually held nothing but pain and bitterness. A day where he would normally drink himself into a coma simply so he wouldn't have to feel, something he had certainly done a year ago.

He would've never imagined how much his life could change in the course of a year, and if someone had told him last year on his birthday where his life was going to be by that time next year he would've thought they were insane…literally. Because who would honestly ever have believed that they were pumped full of an experimental drug, about to get pregnant thanks to drunken birthday sex with a complete stranger, end up falling in love with that stranger who eventual returns his feelings and breaks up with his fiancée, only for things to almost end completely by being captured and tortured by two psychopaths, only for things to work out in the end…anyone being told that would have every right to think that the person telling them was insane. After all most of that should've been impossible, yet somehow, here he was.

So unlike most years, he wasn't spending his birthday alone and in a drunken stupor. Instead, he was sitting at his dinning room table, about to blow out the candles, surrounded by the people that cared about him the most. Which included not only his former sensei and his wife like most years, but it now included friends that he never even realized he had, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, and Tsunade. Not to mention Iruka, who was currently sitting next to him with their gorgeous daughter cradled in his arms.

"You better make a wish," Iruka said, after the small group finished singing happy birthday.

Kakashi thought about it for a moment, and then smiled, before blowing out the candles.

"So, what did you wish for?" Kushina asked, ignoring everybody else's protests about how you weren't supposed to tell.

"I didn't need to make one," he answered, looking around at everybody in the room until his eyes finally settled on Iruka and Aiko, "I have everything I could ever wish for right here."

 **THE END**

 _2 years later…_

"What's all this for? Not that I'm complaining mind you," Kakashi asked, enjoying the delicious meal set out in front of him.

"It's your birthday of course…" Iruka answered, shifting nervously as his lover gave him a suspicious look.

"Yes, but this all just seems so extravagant. I mean, a weekend away at the finest hot springs in the Land of Fire, followed by dinner at such a fancy place like this? It just seems like too much."

"Well, you deserve the best, and I figured we both deserved a weekend away together."

"I can't argue with you there," Kakashi agreed, going back to his dinner.

The two continued to eat, enjoying the atmosphere that the restaurant provided. It was rare that the two of them ever went out anywhere without out Aiko in toe, so places like this were usually out of the question.

This was actually their first weekend away since Aiko was born. They had of course been on dates since then, usually leaving their daughter with Minato and Kushina, but they had never been apart from her for more than a few hours. Kakashi had been uneasy at first, and had taken quite awhile to convince, but now that he was here, he was more than glad he accepted…even if everything did seem to be over the top.

The two finished their meals, before beginning the scenic walk back to the hotel. The resort was truly beautiful, and had a lot to offer other than hot springs and fine dinning. Everywhere you looked the scenery was absolutely picturesque, from the mountains in one direction, to the cherry blossom grove in another, to the flawless garden complete with a koi pond. The whole thing was extremely romantic, and Kakashi couldn't help but blush when he felt Iruka grab his hand.

"Can I give you your present now?" Iruka asked after a moment of comfortable silence.

"Isn't this weekend my present?"

"Not quite…"

"This is already way too much!"

But Iruka ignored Kakashi's protests and instead led him over to a near by bench, that was sitting in front of the koi pond. He sat the other man down, before kneeling down in front of him. The moment he did so Kakashi's eyes widened, as a look of realization crossed his face.

"Kakashi, these last two years have with out a doubt been the best years of my life. I cherish every moment we spend together, and every day I find myself falling more and more in love with you. I never imagined I could be this happy, and I never want to have to let that go. You've already given me the greatest gift in the form of our daughter, but I was hoping you would give me one more gift…" He said, trying to keep any nerves out of his voice as he fumbled around in his pocket for the small box he had hidden there. After finding it, he took a deep breath, before opening it and presenting it to the other man. "Would you give me the gift of being mine now and forever? Kakashi Hatake, will you marry me?"

Kakashi stayed silent, completely frozen as he let the other man's words sink in. He had thought about this moment a countless number of times, and was starting to believe it might not ever happen. Not that he didn't understand the other man's hesitation, considering how things had ended with his former fiancée, and he knew their relationship was strong enough that they didn't really need to make it official… but that didn't stop a small part of him from still wanting it, wanting the world to know that Iruka was his and vice versa, and wanting the three of them to be a proper, legal, family.

He even considered popping the question himself on a few occasions. It wasn't as if he was a woman after all, and even though he may have given birth to their daughter, they still considered themselves both completely equal in their relationship. Iruka even allowed Kakashi to top him a few times, wanting the other man to know that he loved and respected him enough to do anything for him. But all that being said, Kakashi decided that if either of them were ever going to propose, it should be Iruka. He was the one with the former fiancée, and Kakashi didn't want to pressure him into something he wasn't ready for by being the one to ask. So he decided to wait, and he couldn't believe that after two years the wait was over.

"Of course!" Kakashi finally said, after a few moments of hesitation. He saw the worried look on the other man's face when he hesitated quickly disappear, and was replaced by a smile that spanned his entire face. "You shouldn't have looked so worried. Like I would ever say no."

"Well these last two years have been beyond perfect, I was starting to worry that my lucky streak was about to come to an end."

"When it comes to me, to us, you never have to worry about that." He whispered, pulling the other man forward so their lips gently grazed against one another.

Iruka's smile, if possible, became even wider, as he pulled back and took the ring out of the box, sliding it on the older man's finger. The band was fairly simple, he decided against anything too extravagant. He didn't think Kakashi would appreciate walking around with a huge diamond engagement ring, knowing that the other man would associate it with a woman's engagement ring, and he didn't want to insult him by implying anything like that. So instead he went with a simply white gold band, with some rather intricate design work engraved within it. It was elegant, and beautiful, but not something that would be considered exclusively feminine.

"It's perfect," Kakashi said, examining the ring that now sat on his finger. He wasn't sure how he would've reacted if Iruka had pulled out a traditional diamond ring, although knowing him the fact that it was from Iruka would've meant he would love it no matter what, but he was happy he didn't have to find out.

The two soon reconnected their lips, and neither of them was sure how they did it, but they managed to make their way back to their hotel room with out disconnecting their kiss.

Things became heated quickly, clothes being torn away almost instantly. It wasn't until Iruka pulled out his three fingers from Kakashi, and went over to his bag to search for something that things slowed down.

"Shit…" He mumbled, rummaging through the bag multiply times to make sure he hadn't accidently missed it somehow.

"What is it?" Kakashi panted, slightly out of breath from the rate at which they reached that point. He leaned up on his elbows, looking over at his lover…scratch that…fiancée, expectantly.

"We're out of condoms…" Iruka groaned, cursing himself for not being better prepared.

"I thought we brought a bunch?"

"We did…but these last couple of days have been a very _active_ couple of days…I guess I didn't realize just how active."

The two stayed silent for a few moments contemplating the situation.

"I guess you could top me…" Iruka slowly suggested, with as much enthusiasm in his voice as he could muster, but from the look he received from the other man, he must not have come off as very convincing. Kakashi was well aware of the fact that Iruka didn't like bottoming and honestly didn't mind that fact, because ever since he'd been with Iruka he had grown to love the sensation of the other man inside of him more and more.

"No…I'm already prepared," Kakashi answered, biting his lip and thinking over the situation once more before coming to a decision. "Just do it anyway…"

"But, I thought that until we knew more about the drug…"

"It's been nearly two years since there has been any sign of it in my system." Kakashi said, interrupting the younger man's argument. "After I finished nursing Aiko the drug seemed to run its course, and Tsunade hasn't found any signs of it in me since. I know we continued to take precautions anyway, but I honestly don't think it is even an issue anymore, nor has it been for a while."

Iruka quickly grabbed the lube and coated his throbbing arousal, he certainly didn't need to be told twice, and wasn't about to argue with Kakashi's logic. If the other man was okay with it, so was he.

"Eager are we?" Kakashi laughed, only to have it silenced when the other man crashed his lips against his.

"You have know idea how badly I want to make love to my _fiancée_ right now."

Kakashi practically moaned hearing Iruka call him that, and quickly nodded for the other man to go ahead, just as eager to make love to his fiancée.

Iruka slid in slowly, even in the desperation of the situation he refused to do anything that might hurt the other man. But after Kakashi adjusted a rhythm began, one that quickly picked up, filled with all the passion of the situation.

Iruka had become pretty good at finding Kakashi's prostate, and it never took long for the older man to begin crying out as he hit that bundle of nerves with each and every thrust.

"Shit! Iruka!" Kakashi moaned, arching his back as he could feel a familiar heat begin to pool in his stomach. "I'm not going to last!" He cried, as Iruka hit his prostate once more, the combination of that and the fact that he had begun pumping his arousal, pushed him completely over the edge. He saw white, as the familiar sense of euphoria erupted through every cell in his body, his essence splashing over his chest.

Seeing Kakashi in such ecstasy always brought him to the brink himself, and he never usually lasted long after the other man came. He felt Kakashi clench his entrance around him, the added friction sending him over the edge himself, and for the first time in nearly three years, he came inside the other man.

He gave a few more lazy pumps, milking the last bit of both of their orgasms, before he pulled out, practically collapsing on top of the other man.

"Is it just me, or is sex as an engaged couple even better than before?" Iruka asked, after peppering the other man's chest and neck with a few barely there kisses.

"Well I personally think it just gets better and better every time, so I don't think you're wrong."

"Just wait…soon instead of engaged couple sex, it will be married couple sex."

"Mmmm…" Kakashi moaned, placing a slow, passionate kiss on the other man's lips, "I can hardly wait."

 _Two Months Later…_

"Now this next one is a very rich chocolate mousse cake…" The baker said, handing the two men before him another sample to try.

When he had first been approached to make the wedding cake for the controversial couples upcoming nuptials, he had been a little hesitant at first. It wasn't as though he personally had anything against the two men or their relationship with each other, and in fact thought they were rather brave the way they didn't seem to care what the more closed minded people in the village thought. But he was ashamed to say that he had briefly been worried about what people would think when they learned he had provided the cake for their wedding, and what it might do to his business. But after some soul searching, not to mention a lecture about equality from his wife, he quickly agreed.

"I like this one," Iruka replied, taking a second bite out of the sample.

"You would, you're such a chocoholic…" Kakashi chuckled, about to take a second bite himself when he suddenly froze. His stomach suddenly cramped up, and gave the most unpleasant lurch. His mouth began to water, but not in a way that implied he was looking forward to the next bite of cake.

"Are you okay?" Iruka asked, noticing the change of expression on the other man's face.

"Is the cake no good?" The baker asked.

"No, it's delicious," Kakashi said, after taking a few calming breaths, hoping he could push the feeling away but it was no use. He bolted upright, making a mad dash toward the bathroom in the back of the shop.

"Ummm…" Iruka said, after a few moments of shocked silenced passed between himself and the baker. "It really wasn't your cake. He has been ill the last few days, but still wanted to keep the appointment today."

"That's alright," the baker answered, "but maybe we should finish this another day?"

Iruka nodded in agreement, thanking the baker for his understanding, before heading to the washroom to check on his fiancée.

He opened the door, internally cringing at the sound of the other man retching. He hated that Kakashi was ill, and felt helpless, knowing there was nothing he could do to help the other man and take that feeling away. Although, there was technically something he could do, but hadn't so far because of Kakashi's protests and refusal. And when he heard his fiancée practically sob he was retching so hard, he decided he was no longer going to allow the other man to argue.

"We are going to Tsunade," he said, once Kakashi finally got up, flushing the toilet.

"It's nothing serious…" Kakashi began to argue, but was quickly cut off by the brunette.

"You've been getting sick for days now! What if it's something serious? What if it's contagious and you give it to Aiko because you're being stubborn!" Iruka argued, seeing the other man flinch when he mentioned their daughter. He didn't want to make Kakashi feel bad, but if it got the other man to agree to go see the medical-nin, then he didn't care.

"Fine…" Kakashi finally gave in, not looking forward to having to go see the blonde. It's not that he didn't enjoy seeing her; it was just seeing her usually meant some form of needle, and he always preferred to avoid that. Besides, he had a pretty good idea what this could be, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to face that reality yet or not, especially not with everything going on with planning their wedding. "When do you want to go?"

"Now, before we have to be at Kushina and Minato's tonight," Iruka said, shooting the other man a look before he could argue. Kushina and Minato had been watching Aiko for them that day, and invited them to stay for dinner when they came to pick her up. But seeing as the wedding planning activities of the day were being cut short, that left them a few hours to drop by the hospital.

"Fine…" Kakashi said again, following the other man out of the bakery, after he quickly apologized to the owner. The two took off toward the hospital, and Kakashi began internally freaking out about what they were about learn. Iruka must have sensed his panic, because he felt the other man's hand slip into his own.

"Everything is going to be fine," he said softly, doing his best to reassure the other man. Truth be told, he had suspicions of his own about what was wrong with Kakashi, and couldn't wait to find out.

…

"Papa! Daddy!" Aiko practically screeched, running towards her two fathers' when she saw them enter the room. She was running so fast that she ended up tripping over her own feet and would've went flying face first into the floor if it wasn't for the fact that both her dads were ninjas, and had ninja like reflexes.

"Careful baby!" Kakashi said, snatching her up before she could hit the floor. "You need to be more careful sweetheart."

The little girl just giggled, placing a sloppy wet kiss on her papa's cheek, before reaching out and making grabby hands for her dad.

Iruka almost didn't notice, his mind still wheeling from the news they had just received. But snapped out of it when he heard a small whine, quickly taking the little girl from Kakashi's arms, and swinging her around a few times, before placing a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Were you good for Auntie Kushina and Uncle Minato?" He asked, receiving an innocent smile in answer, but knew that likely meant nothing good. Naruto had turned into quite the prankster over the last few years, something Iruka got to enjoy almost everyday now that the young blonde was in his class at the academy, and it seemed some of his trouble making had rubbed off on his young, impressionable, cousin.

"She was perfect as always," Kushina chuckled, entering the living room with a few snacks in hand, waving off the two men's worry. In her opinion kids were going to be kids, and it never hurt to have a little fun. She was fairly mischievous herself as a kid, and believed as long as it wasn't hurting anyone, then it was fine. Something Minato might argue with, after going into work last week without realizing his Hokage's cloak had been vandalized…and on the day he happened to be meeting with the council.

"Are you sure," Iruka asked skeptically, giving the little girl in his arms a mock glare, causing her to break out in another fit of giggles. He couldn't help but smile, placing another kiss on her cheek. He didn't think it was possible to be upset with her even if she had done something wrong. She could probably murder someone, and the moment she batted those eyelashes at him he would forgive her.

"Papa!" She said, reaching her hands back out for her other father, who happily took her, before sitting down on one of the sofas next to his fiancée.

"So how did the planning go today? Did you pick a cake?" Kushina asked curiously, somewhat disappointed that she missed out on the appointment that day. Ever since they had come home two months ago with the news that they were engaged, she had volunteered/forced them to allow her to help in the wedding planning, which Kakashi was more than pleased to accept, he had felt quite overwhelmed at the idea of planning their wedding once he had realized just how much there really was involved in it.

"Actually…I kind of got a little sick, so we had to reschedule the appointment."

"Oh no, are you feeling alright now? You don't have to force yourself to stay for dinner if you feel ill."

"I feel fine now," Kakashi answered, which was mostly true. After receiving the news from Tsunade a few hours earlier, his mind was still trying to mentally wrap itself around the idea.

"Maybe you got whatever it was that Kushina had. She has been getting sick recently as well," Minato suggested, coming into the living room, a few beers in hand. He gave one to Iruka, and put the extra down on the coffee table after Kakashi refused it.

"I doubt it," both Kakashi and Kushina said in unison, exchanging a brief look between them, before a flicker of understanding sparkled in both of their eyes.

"Are you…" Kushina trailed off, leaving her question hanging.

"You too?" Kakashi answered, smiling when the redheaded woman jumped up from the couch.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! I can't believe this!" Kushina practically squealed, pulling Kakashi to his feet after he handed Aiko back over to Iruka. The two embraced tightly, leaving the other two in the room slightly confused, Minato more so than Iruka, who quickly put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"What's going on?" Minato asked after the two pulled apart, seeing signs of tears shining in his wife's eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I'm great!" Kushina sniffled, quickly wiping away any tears before they could fall. "I was going to tell you this tonight, after our guests left, but considering the turn of events, I guess I'll tell you now."

"Well…" Minato urged, after his wife went silent for a few moments.

"I'm pregnant!" She said, watching as the range of emotions played out on her husband's face. It started with shock, to confusion, to understanding, to absolute joy.

"Oh my God!" He cried, jumping up and pulling his wife into his arms. The two of them had been trying for years to have a second child, but something seemed to be wrong. They had recently gone to Tsunade, who had continued her research and development of her fertility drug, and apparently the research was going well, because after just a few months here they were.

"I can't believe this," he whispered, doing his best to keep his emotions in check.

"I know!" Kushina smiled against her husband's neck.

"But wait…when Kakashi said 'you too'…" Minato said pulling away from his wife as the wheels began turning in his head, finally putting all the pieces together again. "Oh my God! Kakashi, you're pregnant again too?"

"It appears so," Kakashi answered, feeling Iruka's hand on his back. The younger man knew how much of a surprise the news had come to him, and that he was still struggling to accept it. Which he could understand. He knew how much his first pregnancy had drained him of his physical and mental energy, and could understand his apprehension about having to do it all again.

"We're going to be baby buddies!" Kushina cheered happily, and as nervous as Kakashi was about the whole thing, he couldn't help but chuckle at that. The older woman's excitement was contagious it seemed, and he could already feel some of his nerves begin to fade.

"Oh God…they're both going to be crazy with hormones at the same time…" Minato commented, receiving a glare from both his wife and former student. "Shit, it's already started! Quick, Iruka, let's run while we still can!"

Iruka laughed, but quickly stopped upon receiving a glare, which was far better then the smack Minato received.

The two couples began to congratulate each other, exchanging hugs amongst themselves. It wasn't until Aiko spoke that they snapped back to reality.

"Baby?" Aiko asked, picking up on some of the conversation that had been going on. She may have only been about two and a half, but she was already incredibly smart for her age. It seemed that she had ended up with some of the Hatake 'prodigy' genes, and she always seemed to be a few months ahead of any other children her age. She had begun talking early, walking early, and was even potty trained by the time she was 18 months old.

"Yes sweetheart, you're going to be a big sister soon," Iruka said to the silver-haired girl still cradled in his arms. Her mouth formed a little 'o', before a smile broke out on her face.

"Yay! Baby!" She cheered, much to the two men's relief. They had been extremely worried about how she might react, and weren't looking forward to having to deal with it if she ended up being upset by the news. But now they would have to try and explain to her the fact that her one daddy was going to be getting bigger because the baby was growing inside of him, a conversation they weren't anticipating having to have with her for years, until the day came when she would inquire about where babies came from, where she came from.

Aiko reached out, once again wanting to be transferred over to her other father. Kakashi accepted her into his arms, surprised when she gave him a somewhat serious look. What surprised him even more however was when she looked down and placed her hand on Kakashi's abdomen.

"Baby?" She asked, causing both Kakashi and Iruka's eyes to widen, and to exchange a look. They knew she was perceptive and smart for her age, but they had no idea she was that perceptive. Maybe they wouldn't have to have the awkward talk they had been dreading after all.

"Yes honey, that's where the baby is," Kakashi answered after a moment.

"Me too?" She asked next, again surprising her fathers.

"Yes. You were in daddy's tummy too before you were born." Iruka said, answering for Kakashi. Aiko gave a nodded, seeming to accept this new information, before her serious look was replaced with another smile.

"Yay baby! I want brother! Like big brother Naruto!" Aiko decided, causing the two men to chuckle.

"Well we won't know that for a few months, but I'll try my best," Kakashi said, giving her a kiss on the cheek, causing the little girl to giggle.

Once the news had sunk in, the rest of the evening seemed to pass by fairly normally. And shortly after dinner, Kakashi and Iruka thanked the other two before heading home.

It took awhile to get Aiko to settle down, she was far too excited about her future baby brother (which she insisted it was, no matter how many times they told her it could be a sister). But after a while she seemed to wear herself out, and was out like a light before too long, curled around her two favorite toys, the dolphin and scarecrow.

After that, Iruka and Kakashi collapsed in their own bed, both beyond exhausted from the days events.

"Well today turned out a little differently then expected," Iruka said after a few moments, rolling over on his back, making room for Kakashi who quickly curled up around him, placing his head on the younger man's chest, his favorite pillow.

"No kidding…" Kakashi snorted, but then sighed, "But honestly, I've kind of suspected this for about a week…ever since I got sick that first time."

"Why didn't you saying anything sooner?" Iruka asked, gently stroking the other man's hair. He had assumed the other man either had the flu or food poisoning, or something, and only began to get suspicious the last day or two when the symptom didn't seem to go away.

"Denial I guess…I had been so sure that that drug was out of my system, and that I was back to normal, that I really hadn't even considered this as a possibility. Its been a little hard to wrap my mind around it I guess…does the fact that I wasn't more excited when we found out make me a bad person?"

"No! Of course not!" Iruka said immediately. "I knew how difficult this was going to be for you the moment we found out, which I think is a perfectly reasonable reaction. I mean, you were given this drug years ago, put through what should've been an impossible ordeal, where people judged you and looked down on you, only to think that things finally returned to normal, and then find out they hadn't. I can't say I know exactly what you're going through, no one can, but I think I can understand it, and I don't blame you for having anxieties."

"Thanks," Kakashi smiled against the other man's chest. He couldn't lie or deny the fact that he had been slightly disappointed to learn the drug still lingered in his system, even though it hadn't come up on any of the tests Tsunade had run. And he certainly wasn't pleased when she had told him that it was likely the drug had permanently fused with his chakra, and the possibility to get pregnant was most likely going to stay with him for years to come, until he was in his 40's or 50's when she assumed his body would no longer be viable for pregnancy, similar to how a woman's would be.

And the idea of having his chakra drained, and his ninja abilities disappear again, was another less than pleasing thought. After two years, he still remained off active duty, spending most of his time with Aiko, although he had picked up a few shifts at the mission room desk, needing to get out of the house himself from time to time, so he didn't necessarily even need his chakra or ninja abilities, but considering what had happened last time he was rendered defenseless, he wasn't exactly looking forward to having to experience that vulnerability again. Although he had to admit, Iruka really had been stepping up the last few years, and he hadn't missed the fact that he seemed to do some extra training. He had even heard from Kushina that Iruka had approached Minato to possibly take the Jounin exam sometime in the future.

Kakashi knew that Iruka loved his job at the academy, and wouldn't trade it for anything, so he knew Iruka's extra training and stuff wasn't so he could switch careers or anything. He knew how much his kidnapping and torture had affected the other man, and how much guilt he carried for not being able to do more, so he knew that Iruka was likely pushing himself so he would be ready if and when something like that ever happened again. And as perfect as Kakashi thought Iruka already was, he couldn't help but feel a little better knowing that Iruka was willing to do whatever it took to keep him and their growing family safe.

"Are you sure you don't want to run? I mean, it's not official yet, you still have a chance…" Kakashi joked, but there was a lack of humor in his voice. He would never say it out loud, but a lingering fear had remained ever present in the back of his mind that one day Iruka would finally come to his senses, and realize all the hateful looks and words they received on an almost daily basis, just wasn't worth it.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response." Iruka scolded, but there was no anger in his voice. "I love you. I'm going to marry you. And I can't wait to have another child with you."

Although in his heart he knew where Iruka stood, it was still nice to hear it out loud, and it brought a warmth to him that seemed to calm down the rest of his lingering nerves.

"We do make pretty good kids, don't we?" Kakashi asked after a moment.

"We sure do," Iruka said, smiling when he saw that the look of anxiety had left his lover's face.

"We will either have to speed up the date of the wedding, or postpone it by a few months…" He suddenly said.

"What? Why?" Iruka asked confused, receiving a scowl from the other man, which read 'are you an idiot'.

"The wedding was supposed to be six months from now…if you honestly think I'm going to stand up in front of all those people while being 8 months pregnant, then you are absolutely insane!"

"Alright…" Iruka said, understanding that that might not be ideal for the other man. "Then I vote we scale back the size of the wedding and have it next month instead."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I don't need a huge party…as long as I have you by my side and we are surround by those closest to us, then I'm perfectly happy. Besides, I don't think I could possibly wait any longer to marry you."

"Your such a sap," Kakashi said, burrowing his face in the other man's chest to hide his blush. He sometimes felt like a teenage girl with a school yard romance when Iruka said things like that, it causing an eruption of butterflies in his stomach every time.

"You love it," He chuckled, not missing the red tinge to the other man's ears. "So, what do you say?"

"Next month sounds perfect." Kakashi agreed, lifting his head when he felt Iruka's hand on his cheek. They exchanged a look before leaning in, their lips coming together and caressing each other's perfectly. The kiss was the perfect way to get across anything that might have been left unsaid between them.

The pace of the kiss began to pick up, when they heard the door to their bedroom slowly begin to open. They pulled apart to see the silver-haired girl standing in the doorway, clutching her stuffed toys sheepishly.

"What's wrong baby? Did you have a nightmare?" Kakashi asked, rolling away from Iruka, making space for what he knew was coming next.

"No…" She said quietly. "But can I sleep with you and daddy and baby brother?"

Both men's hearts melted at her words, and nodded, patting the spot Kakashi had created between them. Aiko beamed at this, running excitedly over, but needed help from her papa to get up on the tall bed. Once she was placed between them, she curled up around her toys.

"Night, night, daddy, papa, and baby," she said, giving a small yawn.

"Night sweetheart," Kakashi said, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Sweet dreams baby," Iruka said, doing the same.

The two looked down at their now sleeping daughter before looking back at each other, exchanging a knowing look. One that said, how lucky are we to have made such a perfect angel, and how lucky are we that we are getting a chance to do it all over again.

"Love you," Iruka whispered, not to disturb the sleeping girl.

"Love you too," Kakashi said, placing one last kiss on the other man's lips, before settling down next to their daughter.

Iruka took one last look at the two of them, before settling down himself, stretching his arm across Aiko, resting it on Kakashi's abdomen.

They might not be a normal family, and everyone might not approve, but the love they all shared was just as real and strong as any traditional families. And despite any earlier anxieties, none of them could wait to welcome the new member of their family into the world, knowing that the love they all shared would grow that much more.

…

 **A/N: So there you have it! That was the last chapter/epilogue. I hope you enjoyed it, and would love to hear your thoughts one last time. This was the longest story I have ever written by like double, and I honestly didn't think I was going to make it to the end. I thought about throwing in the towel a few times, but all your kind words kept me motivated, and I knew I couldn't let anyone down by leaving it unfinished.**

 **Originally the story was going to end after the whole birthday wish thing…that was how I planned it from the beginning. But then I noticed how short that would make the chapter, as well as be rather unfulfilling. So I decided last minute to add in the epilogue and create some motivation to write a sequel. Now we will have a wedding to look forward to, as well as some funny Kushina and Kakashi pregnancy moments (I couldn't resist knocking up our poor little Kakashi a second time.) But it won't all be fluff and fun, because our villains will likely return, and there will likely be some pain and angst along the way. But everyone can rest easy with the knowledge that I am a sucker for happy endings.**

 **Anyway, I will stop rambling now. I just wanted to take the time to thank you all once more, and I hope you will let me know what you thought. Did you like the ending? Was it just okay? Did it make you want to kill me because you don't want to have to wait for a sequel now? Who knows, maybe the reviews might motivate me to want to start the sequel sooner rather than later *shamelessly black mails you for reviews* tee hee.**

 **I might post one last chapter here eventually, not with any story, but with the link to the sequel if and when it comes out, just so those of you who followed this story, and are interested in the sequel can find it easy without having to keep an eye on the main page or actually follow me as an author…anyway, I'm pretty sure I said I was rambling about 200 words ago, so I should probably stop here. Thank you again, I appreciate everyone who reviewed/followed/favorite/ read this story, and I hope you will let me know what you thought one last time and join me for the sequel!**

P.S. It is very late right now, and I was barely able to get through the proof reading process. I have no doubt there are a bunch of mistakes and I will try and fix them after a few hours sleep. If you see any major ones, let me know. Okay, I promise this author note that never ends, ends right…now.


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